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Brazil begins works at new Engenho uranium mine

Brazil's State-run company Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) has started works on its Engenho Uranium mine in Bahia state, Brazil. The new mine is considered to be a decisive step" towards resumption of domestic uranium production''. INB plans to produce 73 t of yellowcake (uranium concentrate) by the end of 2017. When fully operational, the mine is estimated to have a production capacity of 280-300 t/year of yellowcake.



Eventually, Brazil targets to be self-sufficient in uranium production. To achieve this goal, the company plans to open by 2020 the planned underground mines in Caetité (State of Bahia) and Santa Quitéria (State of Ceará).



Two nuclear facilities are currently operating in Brazil: Angra-1 (610 MW) and Angra-2 (1,275 GW), both operated by Eletronuclear, while a third, Angra 3 (1,275 GW), is currently under construction. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Brazil has the world's seventh largest uranium reserves at 309 Mt.