Nuclear Energy in the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy: Unlocking Clean Energy Investment
Held Wednesday, 12 November | 17:00 | World Nuclear Association’s Net Zero Nuclear Pavilion, Blue Zone
As host of COP30, Brazil has placed sustainable finance at the centre of its climate agenda — and its newly published Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy (BST) marks a major milestone. With nuclear energy now included within the taxonomy framework, this COP30 session brought policymakers, industry leaders and financial experts together to unpack what this recognition means for Brazil and the wider Latin American region.
Moderated by Jonathan Cobb, Senior Programme Lead for Climate at World Nuclear Association, the discussion explored how the BST can catalyse investment, strengthen energy security, and support Brazil’s ambition to scale clean, reliable power.
Key Themes & Insights
Nuclear’s role in a sustainable financial framework
Celso Cunha, President of ABDAN, emphasised that including nuclear energy in the BST is both technically justified and strategically essential. He highlighted three critical factors shaping Brazil’s nuclear future:
- The move toward federal tax exemptions for nuclear projects
- The country’s significant uranium reserves and opportunities for fuel reprocessing
- The need for robust legal and regulatory structures to support new-build programmes, including SMRs
Cunha also noted that Brazil’s leadership in clean energy places it in a strong position to help shape global taxonomy trends.
Social inclusion and regional equity
Eliene Bezerra Simao da Silva, Vice-Coordinator of the ABDAN Sustainability Committee and Host Country Lead for N4C, reiterated that nuclear energy must be understood as clean and socially beneficial.
She highlighted how nuclear can:
- Deliver power to remote and isolated regions, including parts of the Amazon and island communities
- Support local job creation, supply chains, and long-term social equity
- Build public confidence, as seen in communities near Angra, where familiarity with nuclear correlates with higher support
She stressed the importance of transparent communication, especially with young people, and the need to strengthen domestic supply chains through new project development.
A coherent, secure and diversified energy matrix
Thiago Ivanoski, Director of Economic, Energy and Environmental Studies at the National Energy Research Office, underscored that excluding nuclear from the taxonomy would be counterproductive to Brazil’s climate and energy security goals.
He highlighted:
- The BST as a market-critical tool driven by the Ministry of Finance
- The need for a mixed, complementary energy matrix rather than competition between clean technologies
- The importance of reducing the cost of capital, particularly for emerging nuclear nations
- Ongoing interest from Petrobras in SMRs as part of a broader industrial decarbonisation strategy
Ivanoski emphasised that nuclear energy will be a key component of the “fourth energy revolution,” anchoring a resilient, low-carbon system amid rising climate uncertainty.
Access
A Blue Zone pass was required to attend.
For details on the wider programme of COP30 Action Agenda events, please see the UNFCCC overview schedule.
For more information about World Nuclear Association’s activities at COP30, visit the Net Zero Nuclear events page.