Eletronuclear resumes the Angra 3 Critical Line Acceleration Plan

“People have already started working – we obtained an injunction to lift the embargo imposed by the city hall and we are at the beginning of a resumption, working with the company Ferreira Guedes, which won the bid. This is the first stage of the project,” Grand Court told Brazil Agency.

He highlighted, however, that the great resumption of the work will only occur when the international bid is made to hire the epecist, who is the designer, supplier and builder, simultaneously. According to Grand Court, this stage depends on the modeling being done by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and which will determine the necessary investments and the best way to resume the enterprise as a whole.

The study will have to be submitted to the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) and the Federal Audit Court (TCU). “Once this is concluded, an announcement is published, an international tender, for companies to place their bids. The one that wins is the one that will fully resume the enterprise”. For Grand Court, this should occur in 2024. “It is our expectation”. It will be up to this company, or consortium, to finalize the civil works and the electromechanical assembly of the plant, which will occur through an EPC contract (engineering, procurement and construction management).

Around BRL 7.8 billion have already been invested in Angra 3, which will need another BRL 20 billion to be completed and to be able to start operating in 2029. Grande Court recalled that, in 1985, the rock on which Angra 3 is being built began to be excavated, but the work was stopped until 2010, when Eletronuclear obtained a license to regularize that pit and drain the water in the place, creating a sewage system. So far, 65% of the work has been completed, including the purchase of equipment and the engineering part that had started.

Perspective

According to the president of Eletronuclear, the outlook is positive. “It is a fine energy that will be placed on the market. It is important for Brazil, in my opinion and that of my company. It is an energy that, as is the case of Angra 1 and Angra 2, supports the National Interconnected System (SIN)”. Grand Court recalled that in the 2021 energy crisis, nuclear power plants operated at 100%, contributing to the stability of the system in Brazil.

He informed that, when Angra 3 is completed, only those who actually consume energy will pay the bill. “Furthermore, in the planning of the work, no Union money comes in. Eletronuclear is working to raise funds through (private) investment and, based on the energy source generated, pays and refunds the investment made by investors”. The executive added that, if the option were to abandon the project, the cost would be the same, because everything that had been done would have to be dismantled and the agreed environmental compensations would have to be paid. “And this has a cost of almost the value of the work. With an aggravating factor: it will not generate a megawatt (MW) of energy and who will ultimately pay the bill is the taxpayer.”

When completed, Angra 3 will generate 1,400 MW of energy, delivering 90% of the energy generated, “at least, unlike other energy sources, which generate 100% and deliver, on average, 30% to 40%”, explained Grand Court, noting that Brazil works with the Interconnected System, where all the plants contribute to the companies distributing the energy produced. “This generates a condition of stability for the system.”