Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) on 25 November at the Nuclear Fuel Factory (FCN), in Resende, inaugurated the tenth cascade of ultracentrifuges, completing the first phase of the Uranium Isotopic Enrichment Plant. This will reduce Brazil’s dependence on contracting services abroad for the production of fuel for its NPPs. The start-up of the tenth cascade means production capacity will meet 70% of the demand for refuelling of unit 1 of the Angra NPP - an increase of approximately 5%.
INB President Carlos Freire Moreira emphasized that enrichment of technology is 100% national, and was developed by the Brazilian Navy in partnership with the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research (IPEN). "The mastery of this technology is a fundamental step for the manufacture of fuel elements, which currently supply the reactors of the Angra 1 and 2 plants, and, shortly, for the future Angra 3 plant", he said.
He noted that INB was recently incorporated into the Empresa Brasileira de Participações em Energia Nuclear e Binacional (ENBpar), and that Brazil has complete mastery of the nuclear fuel cycle as well as immense resources of uranium. “With the easing of the monopoly, INB will be able to become a player in the world uranium market, generating jobs and income for our society”, he added.
The president of nuclear utility Eletronuclear, Eduardo Souza Grivot Grand Court, said the inauguration of the tenth cascade was extremely important in view of the partnership between Eletronuclear and INB. “It is our only fuel supplier and, the more developed INB's work is, the more security we have for the Angra 1 and 2 plants and, in the future, Angra 3. So I consider it a fundamental milestone, especially now that we are part of the same group, in which ENBpar is the parent company”, he said. He added that Eletronuclear, together with ENBpar, has a plan to help investments in the development of new stages of uranium enrichment and the manufacture of INB's fuel element.
Vice-Admiral Guilherme Dionízio, from the Technological Centre of the São Paulo Navy (CTMSP), pointed out that nuclear energy is emerging as a reliable alternative to guarantee an expanding demand in the world. “In this sense, Brazil is in a prominent position, since it has one of the largest reserves of uranium on the planet, in addition to being one of the few countries that dominates the complete technology of the nuclear fuel cycle”, he said. Dionízio said that, throughout the execution of the contract between the Navy and INB, there were several advances related to technology, which improved the performance of the ultracentrifuges.
ENBpar President Vice-Admiral Ney Zanella acknowledged the effort involved in building a cascade given the difficulties that INB had been facing with budget restrictions. “It demonstrates that each one was focused on contributing to the success of the project,” he said. He also noted the importance of the Navy and research institutes for the development of technology, as well as international bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC), which support and show the transparency of the nuclear sector.
According to the World Nuclear Association, Brazil is part of a select group of 13 countries internationally recognized by the nuclear sector as holders of uranium enrichment facilities with different industrial production capacities.
The implementation of the company's Uranium Enrichment Plant, a strategic industrial project of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, began in 2000, in Resende. In 2006, the first cascade of ultracentrifuges was inaugurated, placing Brazil in the select group of countries with this technology. Implementation of the FCN Uranium Isotope Enrichment Plant is being carried out, in a modular way, in two phases. The second will consist of 30 cascades.
The project for the implementation of the 2nd phase - Commercial Uranium Enrichment Plant (UCEU) - has already started with the basic project, which is currently being prepared, and with the request for licences to the inspection bodies: Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN).
When the installation of the Plant is completed, Brazil will become self-sufficient in uranium enrichment. By 2033, INB will be able to meet needs entire of the Angra 1 and 2 nuclear power plants and, by 2037, the demand of Angra 3.
Image courtesy of Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil
