Brazil - World Nuclear Performance Report

Brazil has two operating reactors with a combined capacity of 1884 MWe at Angra, 200 km west of Rio de Janeiro. A third unit is being constructed at the same site. 

Eletronuclear is seeking a lifetime extension from 40 to 60 years for Angra 1. Construction of the much-delayed Angra 3 unit was once again stopped in April 2023 following orders from the municipal government of Angra dos Reis and a related embargo imposed by the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. 

In June 2024 the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice removed the embargo. On the same day Eletronuclear unilaterally terminated its construction contract with the Ferreira Guedes, Matricial and ADtranz consortium that was signed in February 2022 for restarting Angra 3 civil works.

Earlier, in April 2024 the project’s costs came under scrutiny following an analysis from the Federal Audit Court, which concluded: “The charges to consumers will be much higher if the construction of Angra 3 continues than if the project is abandoned.” Eletronuclear responded by saying that the price of electricity from Angra 3 would be competitive for a clean and reliable energy source.

Electricity generation by age of reactor