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A new uranium deposit in Brazil promises to revolutionize the nuclear energy sector and generate thousands of jobs. Located in Ceará, the reserve is already being nicknamed the “Petrobras of Uranium” due to its strategic potential. This discovery could boost the production of clean energy and consolidate the country as a powerhouse in the nuclear market.
Brazilian uranium deposit is not explored: The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, stated last Friday, the 8th, that Brazil has an unexplored 'Petrobras of Uranium' and highlighted the need to modernize the country's nuclear chain. According to the minister, It is unacceptable that Brazil has the 7th largest uranium reserve in the world, knowing only 26% of its subsoil. Alexandre was present at the launch event of the Consolidation booklet of the Ten-Year Energy Expansion Plan (PDE) 2034, in Brasília.
Understand why the Brazilian uranium deposit is not explored
In Silveira's assessment, the exploitation of uranium reserves for Brazilian nuclear energy is inefficient, as the legislation still hinders the participation of the private sector, despite the flexibility provided by the Bolsonaro government. According to him, as required by the Constitution, the State must be the controller, but it is necessary to find a formula to advance this chain.
According to section 23 of article 21 of the Brazilian Magna Carta, it is up to the Union alone to explore nuclear energy services and facilities of any nature and to exercise a state monopoly over research, mining, enrichment and reprocessing, industrialization and trade in nuclear minerals and their derivatives.
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With this, the extraction activity, industrial processing and treatment is run by Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB), while nuclear energy production is the responsibility of Eletronuclear. Both are state-owned companies linked to the MME.
Silveira acknowledged the need to end the works at Angra 3, which began in 1981 and has been halted since 2010. However, the installation was classified by the minister as a “mausoleum” and he acknowledged the urgency of expanding the operation beyond the Angra dos Reis complex.
Silveira emphasizes that it is necessary to look at the 'Petrobras of Uranium' already considering the small nuclear power reactors. In In a transcontinental country like Brazil, there is no clean and renewable energy without this energy source. The speech refers to the plans of technology giants to use small modular reactors to supply low-carbon electricity to artificial intelligence data centers.
Colossal uranium reserve in the Northeast
According to the Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB), the Caetité uranium reserve mine in the state of Bahia is the only one in operation in Brazil. In May, the National Nuclear Energy Commission approved the construction of the uranium beneficiation unit at the Santa Quitéria Complex in Ceará.
The exploration of the mine will be carried out by the Santa Quitéria Consortium, a partnership between INB and Galvani Fertilizantes, from the private sector.
However, the process is slow and depends on the environmental licensing granted by Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment). In 2022, the agency did not approve the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) presented by the group. Outside the Northeast, there are smaller deposits in states such as Paraná, Minas Gerais, Amazonas and Pará.
The Brazilian uranium deposit is located on the Itataia farm, between the municipalities of Santa Quitéria and Itatira, approximately 210 km from Fortaleza. It is considered the 'Petrobras of Uranium' and, if the project is approved in all stages, the uranium reserve plant will be able to produce both uranium and phosphate elements, used in the production of fertilizers. In the text announcing the approval, the National Commission stated that both products have strategic potential for Brazil.
While the consortium delivers additional information to Ibama and awaits further analysis, construction work on the Brazilian uranium deposit cannot begin. The consortium expects to obtain the full installation license by the end of 2024.
'Petrobras of Uranium' could generate thousands of jobs
The uranium reserve in Ceará is both promising and controversial. It has the support of the state government, but it raises questions from communities and researchers about the risks that mining the mineral could pose to workers and the local population, among other impacts.
Contact with uranium, a heavy and unstable metal, poses risks recognized by the scientific community. Experts point out possible impacts on people and also on biodiversity.
In September 2023, the government of Ceará renewed the memorandum of understanding with the Santa Quitéria Consortium.
The document signed by Governor Elmano de Freitas (PT) is valid for the next five years and foresees that the government will cooperate in the implementation of the project focused on nuclear energy. One of the government's expectations is that the plant in the Brazilian uranium deposit will stimulate economic growth in the region and the state as a whole. For the implementation phase, the Santa Quitéria consortium foresees an investment of R$2,3 billion.
For the Santa Quitéria region, 2,8 direct jobs and 5,6 indirect jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the processing complex. Once in operation, 538 direct jobs and 2,3 indirect jobs are expected.
Even if all the necessary licenses are obtained by the end of the year, the plant will likely take some time to begin operating. The installation work is expected to take two and a half years. In this scenario, and with the operating license approved, the complex could begin production between the end of 2027 and the beginning of 2028.
