‘COMMENT A Latin nuclear revival? South America once looked a promising market for nuclear technology. That promise was unfulfilled, but the emerging renaissance may help restart those programmes. i 7 By Steve Kidd lear power achieved \ early footholds in both Argentina and Brazil but then rapidly entered a blind alley Both countries stopped their pro- ‘grammes after only two reactors, With the previous expansive plans put on hold or cancelled. Reactors remain uncompleted in oth countries and fuel cycle developments have accordingly heen constrained, despite well- ‘edlucated technical staTand some promising national research developments. Both countries have sullered from political and economic problems which have clearly not helped, but there are now signs that these have been ‘overcome, The econamies ofboth Argentina and Brazil are now rapidly: and electricity serosa ‘demand is rising sharply. There tre substantial fears about short- ages of generating capacity 0 is rebirth of nuclear very likely in these countries? Other important features. of both Argentina and Brazil include their desire to have fal uel cycles supporting grammes and not be dependent fon supplies of nuclear fuel from foverseas, Argentina’s uranium resources are comparatively poor, bat Brazil's are impressive in mage nitude even ifrather low in grace Both have sought to develop these to at least satisfy their domestic reactor requirements ancl, in the ‘cace of Brazil, possibly to export too. Conversion, enrichment and fel fabrication technology (and some facilities) have also been ‘developed with enrichment (inthe ‘ease of Brazil in carly 2005) attracting non-prolieration eo cers. Yet both Argentina and Brazil are panies to the Treaty on. the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and there thas been an Argentine-Brazilian Agency for the Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACG) set up with fll-seope safeguards under IAEA anspices since 1994, Both are members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (Brazil assumed the chairmanship in January 2006) but have not yee signed the Additional Protocol in relation to their safeguards ‘agreements with the IAEA, ‘Considering Argentina first, the ‘ovo operating reactors Atucha 1 and Embalse satisfy about 9% of the country’s electricity require- ments, whieh are now growing rapidly during the recovery from ‘the economic 'meltdonen’ of 2001- 2, About one third ofthe requir ‘ments come from hydro and the remainder from fossil fe] generat- ing modes. Argentina decided at 1 early stage to go for heavy ‘water reactors fuelled by natural ‘uranium and invited bids fiom Canada and Germany in the mid- 1960s, \ Siemens KWU bid was accepted and Atucha 1 entered operation in 1974, located near Bucnos Aites, Ithas a net capacity of 335MWe and ie unusual amongst heavy water reactors in ing a pressure vessel. It now uses. slightly-enriched uraniam fuel (0.85% U-295), which has doubled burmup and cut operat~ ing costs, The fuel is obtained hy blending imported enriched ‘uranium with natural uranium, ‘A second feasibility study in the late 19606 resulted in the selection of a Cand 6 reactor complete with tech fer agreement from AECL for a second site at Cordoba, about Okm from Buenos Aires. This ed operation in 1984 with a ceapaity of 600MWe and, like all other Candus (¢0 date), runs ‘on natural uranium fl Beyond this, government decision in 1979 planned four ‘more units to come into operation, 1987-97. Only one of these was started, namely Atucha 2, alarger (60MWe) version ofthe first unit tunder a joint venture between KWU and the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), which coordinates all nuclear activities there, Work unfort logy trans: nately proceeded very slowly with this largely owing to lack of funds, and sas saspencled in 1904 with thepl ple plans to recommence constrc- tion, but both money and exper- tise (10 complete a unique design) have been in short supply. Com pletion has always seemed “five ears away" and that remains the pexition today Beyond the constrained power reactor programme, Argentina's ain success has heen in exporting research reactors, including Opal, the new Australian unit (see VAT ‘March 2005, p14), There ae five research reactors Argent indication ofthe high educational standards there. Uranium mining has produced only a cumulative 2500RU from open pit and heap leaching but Argentina has a ure nt an estimated 80% com here have since been some nium conversion company (Diox- itck) ancl fuel fabricator (Coney the later of which has heen suc ‘cessful in achieving export orders in non-nuclear metal finishing ‘There isalso a heavy water plant which is mote than sufficient for domestic needs and some experi- mentation with innavative gaseous diffusion enrichment technology Turning to Brazil, its position hhas many similarities, The eeono- my is now growing well with clecticity demand’ booming, while 90% comes from hyero resources, mainly located a long ‘way tom the major demand area around Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This has worrying secu- rity of supply implications and being acldressed by plans for more fossiFfuelled plants, The two wg nuclear reactors, Angra, provide only about 4% of Uhe nation’s requirements Westinghouse won the bid for the first reactor on a turnkey con- tract and Angra 1, a 626MWe PWR, opened in 1982 afer aI ‘year construction period. In 1975, the government signed an agree ment with the former West Germany for the supply of eight 1300MWe PWRs over 15 years, with the first two 10 be built immediately with equipment from Siemens KWU and the remainder under a technology transfer agreement with 90% local content. Economic prob- lems meant that construction of the first two units was severely interrupted, and Angra 2 cldn't come into operation until 2000. It hhas operated very well since then lincontrast to Angra L, which had only a 25% load Factor in its frst 15 yearsof operation) but is win, Angra 3, has barely been started, feven though 70% of the equip: ‘ment has been paid for and is NUCLEAR ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2006‘onsite, apparently costs $20 mile and it is ion per year to maintain this in good shape for fitute use, but plans to complete the reactor the Angra reactors Doelieved that capacity will eventue ally be around 200,000 SWU per nnum, sufficient forthe two oper ating units. There is also Sicmens-designed fuel f plant adequate for domestic needs Looking 10 the longer-term Fature, Broil is involved in a wide range of nuclear R&D in five nuclear research centres, is a have been continuously shelve Iis estimated that it will take 5-7 Dorication years and cost around §2 billion to complete. Overseas partners are being sought for this. Fuel eycle activities in Bravil are how all under the state-owned holding company Industrias [Nuclesres Brasileiras (INB). This has developed the Laguo Re: heap leaching uranium operation with capacity of 4D0cU /year and there are plans to expand oper tions there and elsewhere, in order to capitalise on Brazil's extensive reserws, Overseas partners {including the Chinese) have bee sought, but even with the recent ‘member of both the Generation IV svolved in the Inpea programme ‘What can we conclude about ruclear prospects in these coun tie? The key is clearly the compl Atueha2 and Angra 3, which would kick-start the supply industries that have been starved of work in recent years, A decision to go-ahead in ‘one country slike to be infer sil in the other, as politicians and industrialists in both countries rernational Forum and is strong inerease in world uranium pices, he economics may be ma ginal, Conversion and enrichment have been purchased from abroad ‘but Brazil has developed is own centrifuge enrichment technolo apparently similar ta Urenco initially for naval reactors. This has now heen reoriented to supplying watch each other very carefully and there ag fof cross-border cooperation in nuclear matters, As such, the situ ation is rath similar to that in dhe Former Soviet Union, where the COMMENT $$ $$$ first task was to. complete those reactors partially completed 1990, This gradually happening and both Russia and Ukraine are now looking forward 10 more ‘expansive reaetor-building plans, ‘which contain a greater degree of realism than in the recent past ‘One concern, however, is the decline in the number of expe enced nuclear staff in both Argentina and Brazil, The reduc tion in nuclear ecucation in the universities has, as elsewhere, led to @ significant ageing in the nuclear workforce and assistance fat present) dedicate! to satisfying, domestic requirements. This is even ithe costswillbe higher than, importing from abroad ‘of supply is important in both ‘countries as they have relatively ‘weak domestic energy resources, What is wally needed, however, & a strong nuclear revival in Europe and North Ames While these leading regions building reactors, there isno strong, feeling in Larin America tha ‘nuclear isthe way to go and it may be difficult to stimulate the com- pletion of Atucha 2 and Angra 3, The longer they remain uncom: pleted, the more dlfcul ie will be tofind the Elewhere there has been some talk of a reactor programme in Chile, the most suceessfil country in Latin America in an economic sense, but this too would need a Ikick-start from nuclear countries will be required from abroad Nevertheless, the fist stage isto get government support to complete the eeactors given theireleetricity supply problems and need to curb carbon emisions thisrmust remain the instr’ irs tanger Development of the fuel cycle activities ako dependls on the reac ‘or completions, as they are solely ight human reseurces Steve Kidd is Heod of Strategy & Reseach atthe World Nuclear Association, where he nas worked since 1995 (when i was the Uranium Institue). Any views expressed are net necessarily those of the World [Nucleer Association ardor is members PLIM + PLEX 2006 10-11 April 2006 Hotel Concorde La Fayette, Paris, France Register now foe hie bepchonak mening plc rages Bookings made by 31 March will receive the Early Bird discount ns egies ie wwwewilmingronconferences.com Julie Rossier, Wilmington Media, Wilmingron House, Maidstone Road, Foots Cray. Sideup, Kent, DAL SHZ, UK Tel: +44 20 8269 7835 Fax: +44 20.8269 7880 «mai jrossiter@wilmington.co.uk Organised bys Media Parner WILMINGTON Reactor Accidents is back! ‘Apil 2006 sees the publication ofthe second edition of Reactor ‘Accidents by David Mosey. fssential reading for everyone involved in safety at nuclear facilities, the hugely popular 1990 fist ection has been fully updated and revise. In Reactor Accldents, the most sgalicant accidents in the history of nuclear power are examined i deal dentiyng causes and ooking for Common features. 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