Brazil NPPs

by Sérgio Granato de Araújo

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All of Brazil’s nuclear plants (Angra I, Angra II [Figure 1], and Angra III, under-construction) are in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, located along the Rio-Santos highway and chosen for its stable geology, seawater access for cooling, proximity to major demand centers (SP & RJ states), and the logistical benefits of centralizing operations.  The complex is the culmination of Brazil’s nuclear program, which began in the 1950s with the creation of the CNPq, led primarily by Admiral Álvaro Alberto da Mota e Silva.

 

Angra I

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The Angra I nuclear power plant, located at the Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, operates a pressurized water reactor (PWR) supplied by Westinghouse with a net electrical capacity of about 609 MWe.  Construction began in the early 1970s, and the plant was commissioned in 1985.  Since then, Angra I has provided reliable baseload electricity, using enriched uranium fuel in a controlled fission process to heat water and generate steam for turbines, supporting the stability of Brazil’s power grid under strict safety & regulatory oversight [WNA, 2024].

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Angra II

  

The Angra II unit, also part of the same nuclear complex, houses a PRE KONVOI PWR reactor supplied by Siemens/KWU with a net electrical capacity of around 1,275 MWe, brought online in 2000.  Designed to operate with high availability and capacity factors in accordance with international nuclear standards, Angra II uses enriched uranium fuel and robust containment systems to maintain safe and continuous generation of low‑carbon electricity [WNA, 2024].​

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Angra III (under construction)

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Angra III, the third unit of the "Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto", is a partially built pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a planned net capacity of about 1,405 MWe, designed to significantly expand the country’s low‑carbon baseload electricity generation [EN, 2025].  Construction began in 1984 but was repeatedly halted due to financing, regulatory, and administrative challenges; as of 2025 the project is roughly 2/3 complete [FGV, 2020], w/ estimated additional investment of tens of billions of BRL needed, and commissioning now projected btw 2031 and 2033, pending govern decisions on funding & approvals.