Minister defends modernization of the Brazilian nuclear chain with private agents and clean energy for AI data centers
The minister of , , said this Friday that Brazil has “a Petrobras” in an unexplored uranium deposit and highlighted the need to modernize the Brazilian nuclear chain.
“It is unacceptable that Brazil is 7th [maior] uranium reserve in the world, knowing only 26% of its subsoil”said at the launch event of the Consolidation notebook, in Brasília.
In Silveira’s assessment, Brazilian exploration is inefficient as legislation still makes it difficult for the private sector to participate, despite the .
“As the Constitution requires, the State has to be the controller, but we have to find a formula to move forward in this chain”he stated.
According to the Brazilian Magna Carta, it is only up to the Union “explore nuclear services and facilities of any nature and exercise a state monopoly on research, mining, enrichment and reprocessing, industrialization and trade in nuclear ores and their derivatives”.
As a result, the extraction, processing and industrial treatment activities are controlled by (Industrias Nucleares do Brasil), while the production of nuclear energy is the responsibility of . Both are state-owned companies linked to the MME.
“MAUSOLEUM” OF ANGRA
Silveira recognized the need for , started in 1981 and paralyzed since 2010.
However, the installation was classified by the minister as a “mausoleum” and he recognized the urgency of expanding the operation beyond the Angra dos Reis complex.
“We have to look at the chain considering small nuclear reactors. In a transcontinental country like Brazil, there is no clean and renewable energy without this energy source”he stated.
The speech refers to the provision of low-carbon electricity to datacenters of artificial intelligence.
URANIUM EXPLORATION IN THE NORTHEAST
According to the (Brazilian Geological Survey), the Caetité mine, in the State of Bahia, is the only one in operation in Brazil.
In May, the construction of the uranium processing unit at the Santa Quitéria Complex, in Ceará, was approved by the (National Nuclear Energy Commission).
The exploration of the mine will be the responsibility of Consórcio Santa Quitéria, a partnership between INB and Galvani Fertilizandos, from the private sector.
However, the process is marked by slowness and depends on environmental licensing granted by the (Brazilian Environmental Institute).
In 2022, the city council did not approve the EIA (Environmental Impact Study) presented by the group.
Outside the Northeast, there are smaller deposits in states such as Paraná, Minas Gerais, Amazonas and Pará.
