Brazilian authorities recently renewed the environmental licence for the unfinished project in Rio de Janeiro state – a prerequisite for the resumption of construction work.
In February 2022, Eletronuclear signed an agreement with a consortium formed by Ferreira Guedes, Matricial and ADtranz for the restart of civil construction works at Angra-3.
The plan for completion of the unit includes finishing the concrete superstructure of the reactor building, closure of the containment structure and installation of a used fuel pool, polar bridge and the semi-gantry crane, Eletronuclear said.
Construction of Angra-3, a 1,245-MW Siemens/KWU pressurised water reactor unit, began in 1984 but was halted in 1986 because of a lack of financing. In 2010, a construction permit was reissued by the authorities, but the project was suspended again in 2015 because of financing concerns and corruption investigation proceedings.
According to Eletronuclear, almost 47% of civil work at the site had been completed in 2014. So far, about $1.6bn (€1.6bn) has been spent on the project, earlier reports said.
Since 2019, Eletronuclear has been using the services of the Angra Eurobras NES consortium, led by Belgium’s Tractebel, to prepare for the completion of Angra-3.
Brazil has two operational nuclear plants, Angra-1 and Angra-2, which provide around 2.7% of its electricity production.
Angra-3 is scheduled for operation in February 2028 and is expected to meet 3% of Brazil’s electricity consumption, or approximately 60% of that in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
