Brazil Starts in February Enriched Uranium Production in Industrial Scale

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Agencia Brasil

January 13, 2008

Brasilia - The state owned company Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB) is going to produce enriched uranium in Resende, in the southwest of the state of Rio de Janeiro, as from next month. Until the end of year, production might reach 12 tons of the raw material of the fuel used in nuclear power plants. INB expectation is to produce, till 2012, all enriched uranium used in the nuclear power plant of Angra I and 20% of the fuel for Angra II.

The information comes from the director of INB Nuclear Fuel Production, Samuel Fayad Filho, for whom the national control of the process of complete uranium enrichment means “a leap”.

“The great progress is that in future we won’t be dependent on foreign services for an important technology. We won’t have any problem in case someone closes the gas valve,” said Fayad Filho, refereeing to the episode of supply interruption from Russia to Ukraine and to other countries in Europe happened last week.

According to him, national production of enriched uranium is going to bring to Brazil an economy of US$ 25 million, amount that corresponds to what the country spends to enrich the mineral abroad. So far, Brazil had the ore, but, not dominating the enrichment process, it used to export the raw material and to buy from a consortium of European companies the enriched uranium.

The uranium enrichment technology was developed by the Marine’s Technological Center in São Paulo (CTMSP) and by the Nuclear and Energetic Research Institute (IPEN). Brazil will be the ninth country to dominate de enrichment process of the mineral.

To start the industrial production of enriched uranium, the fabric in Resend already has two cascades of series ultracentrifuges (equipment invented by the Germans during the Second World War) used to separate the uranium particles that release energy. It is expected that within three years ten cascades of ultracentrifuges will be running.

INB has, since November 2006, environmental license from IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) to enrich uranium, but the authorization for the operation of the fabric, valid for one year, was given by the National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN) only on the last day 5.

According to Fayad Filho, INB must request postponement till obtain from CNEN the authorization for permanent operation, “after proving that it works safely”. The operational license from IBAMA expires next year, and its renewing also needs to be requested to IBAMA.

Federal Constitution assures to the Union monopoly for plowing, enrichment, reprocessing, industrializing and trading of nuclear ores and its byproducts (Article 21). According to the law, every nuclear activity in national territory must have pacific ends, and must be approved by the National Congress.

Translated from Portuguese (for the translation, please see About page)

For the Original Text in Portugues click here

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