To Protect Its Wealth, Such as Minerals and Water, Brazil Will Need to Discuss the Use of Nuclear Weapons, Says the Minister of Mines and Energy

Written by Carla Teles

Published on 05/09/2025 at 22:14

Ministro defende que o Brasil use energia nuclear para defesa, o que exigiria mudar a Constituição. Entenda a polêmica e os argumentos sobre soberania.

1 person reacted to this.

Alexandre Silveira Surprises by Stating that, to Protect Its Wealth, the Country Will Need to Discuss the Military Use of Nuclear Technology, Something Currently Prohibited by the Constitution.

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, sparked an important debate this Friday (5) by declaring that Brazil will need to plan to use nuclear energy in the defense sector. According to him, this is an unavoidable discussion to maintain national sovereignty, even if it means revisiting the current constitutional prohibition on the subject.

The Current Constitution and the Vision for The Future of Brazil

Currently, the Federal Constitution of Brazil is clear: it does not allow the use of nuclear energy for military development. However, Minister Alexandre Silveira argues that this is a position the country will need to reevaluate. “In the long term, I am absolutely sure that public officials in the country will have to reconsider the position so that we maintain a sovereign country“, he stated emphatically.

The defense of the change is based on what he describes as external threats. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing very strong attacks on our sovereignty“, said the minister, justifying the need to plan for the use of this source for national defense purposes.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Why Nuclear Defense Has Become a Topic in Brazil?

The main justification Silveira provides for strengthening defense is the immense amount of natural resources in Brazil. The country has critical minerals, abundant freshwater, and a tropical climate, factors that, according to him, attract the interest and greed of other nations.

The minister even mentioned “speculative attacks” from U.S. President Donald Trump as an example of international pressures. “These are great riches in the underground, and Brazil must be sovereign in its defense“, he pointed out.

The Context of Silveira’s Controversial Statement

The statements by Alexandre Silveira were made during an interview granted following the investiture ceremony of the new directors of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) and the National Nuclear Safety Authority (ANSN).

Despite the strong defense for military use, Silveira clarified that, at this moment, the government’s immediate focus is on developing the nuclear chain for energy purposes, that is, for electricity generation.

Sovereignty, Defense, and the Fight Against Inequalities in Brazil

For the minister, sovereignty is the key for Brazil to utilize its own wealth to solve its serious internal problems. “Brazil is gigantic by nature. A country with so many riches, with abundant minerals, we cannot admit that it continues to have misery, hunger, and inequality“, he concluded.

To Protect Its Wealth, Such as Minerals and Water, Brazil Will Need to Discuss the Use of Nuclear Weapons, Says the Minister of Mines and Energy

Alexandre Silveira Surprises by Stating that, to Protect Its Wealth, the Country Will Need to Discuss the Military Use of Nuclear Technology, Something Currently Prohibited by the Constitution.

The Current Constitution and the Vision for The Future of Brazil

Why Nuclear Defense Has Become a Topic in Brazil?

The Context of Silveira’s Controversial Statement

Sovereignty, Defense, and the Fight Against Inequalities in Brazil

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

Larger than the Toyota Hilux and with a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, the new MG U9 2026 features a 2.5 turbodiesel engine, 520 Nm, 4×4 traction with three locks, and an almost full-size build.

For the first time in history, a submarine cable will descend to four thousand meters deep under the ice of the North Pole to ensure that the internet between Europe and Asia no longer depends on conflict zones in the Middle East.

While the world discusses geopolitics, China is quietly closing a deal with its Kazakh neighbor to secure grain supplies during any global food crisis, with more than 3,600 Kazakh companies already able to export directly to the Chinese market.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Amid the United States’ economic blockade, China delivers 15,000 tons of rice to Cuba as part of a 60,000-ton donation personally approved by Xi Jinping. The package includes 80 million dollars and solar panels for hospitals.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

To Protect Its Wealth, Such as Minerals and Water, Brazil Will Need to Discuss the Use of Nuclear Weapons, Says the Minister of Mines and Energy

Alexandre Silveira Surprises by Stating that, to Protect Its Wealth, the Country Will Need to Discuss the Military Use of Nuclear Technology, Something Currently Prohibited by the Constitution.

The Current Constitution and the Vision for The Future of Brazil

Why Nuclear Defense Has Become a Topic in Brazil?

The Context of Silveira’s Controversial Statement

Sovereignty, Defense, and the Fight Against Inequalities in Brazil

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

Study solves great ancient mystery: remains of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, are identified in Vergina and resolves the enigma of the Macedonian royal tombs that had lasted half a century.

Larger than the Toyota Hilux and with a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, the new MG U9 2026 features a 2.5 turbodiesel engine, 520 Nm, 4×4 traction with three locks, and an almost full-size build.

The Brazilian Army is about to finalize one of the largest military purchases in recent years with Italy, consisting of 96 Centauro 2 armored vehicles with 120 mm cannons and three anti-aircraft batteries unprecedented in the country, including armed drones under negotiation.

Students drop out of ESA after reports of sergeants driving for Uber, and a silent crisis in the Armed Forces begins to worry candidates in 2026

More than 500 Marines, robots, drones, and armored vehicles are deployed in Rio de Janeiro for the UN to certify Brazil at the highest level of readiness for peacekeeping missions. It is the first force in the country to achieve this status in all of history.

With 24-meter wings, two turbodiesel engines, 49 hours of autonomy, and the ability to launch sonobuoys to hunt submarines, the Turkish drone Aksungur can monitor an area the size of Brazil for two consecutive days without landing.

For the first time in history, a submarine cable will descend to four thousand meters deep under the ice of the North Pole to ensure that the internet between Europe and Asia no longer depends on conflict zones in the Middle East.

While the world discusses geopolitics, China is quietly closing a deal with its Kazakh neighbor to secure grain supplies during any global food crisis, with more than 3,600 Kazakh companies already able to export directly to the Chinese market.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Amid the United States’ economic blockade, China delivers 15,000 tons of rice to Cuba as part of a 60,000-ton donation personally approved by Xi Jinping. The package includes 80 million dollars and solar panels for hospitals.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.