The national energy plan to 2050 that the Brazilian Ministry for Mines and Energy will release by the end of 2019 will confirm Brazil's commitment to resume the 1,245 MWe (1,405 MWe gross) Angra-3 nuclear reactor project in Angra dos Reis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and the role of nuclear power in the country's future electricity system.
The Angra-3 reactor will be located at the Angra site where two pressurized water reactors are already generating power (Angra-1, 640 MWe and Angra-2 1,350 MWe). The construction of the Angra-3 project started in 2010 but has been halted since 2015, amidst bribe allegations, which led to several arrests and spurred an investigation by public prosecutors. The project owner and operator is Eletrobras Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of the state-run power utility Eletrobras. The government expects to complete the construction of the unit by 2026 with the help of private investment. The reference tariff for the project has been nearly doubled to BRL480/MWh (US$126/MWh) and five companies have expressed interest in investing in the project so far. According to the latest estimates, it would cost an estimated BRL15bn (US$3.9bn).
Besides, the government is also consirering the deployment of new nuclear power plants including generation IV technology and small modular reactors in the period from 2040 to 2050, to meet growing national power demand.
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