Strengthening ties with Russia in the nuclear energy segment, Brazil may win promising projects for small modular reactors

Modular reactors coming from Russia could be very useful in Brazil, but only a detailed study will be able to reveal whether the application of nuclear energy in the Brazilian energy matrix will in fact have a positive impact    

After the last trip of the president of the republic, Jair Bolsonaro, to Russia, there was an important indication of the application of nuclear energy to the Brazilian market. In a meeting that lasted about 2 hours with President Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, Bolsonaro emphasized the creation of closer ties with Russia, in the nuclear energy segment, including mainly small modular reactors, also known as SMRs. After the meeting with Putin, the president of Brazil stated that there is a possibility that Russia and Brazil will expand business in the areas of oil and gas exploration, derivatives, and mainly energy, but that they will still deepen the dialogue regarding this possibility. Bolsonaro also said that the Brazilian government is very interested in small modular reactors.

Read also

• Converted in China and commissioned at the Drydocks shipyard, in Dubai, the FPSO Guanabara finally arrives in Brazil, the first of four Petrobras platforms deployed in the third largest pre-salt field in the Santos Basin
• Petrobras and Shell Brasil enter the dispute for the Second Round of the Assignment of Rights that will offer the pre-salt areas of Sépia and Atapu
• Brazil targets the Fourth Industrial Revolution as one of the priorities of the State and strengthens trade relations with Russia
• Oil prices could soar to $150 a barrel and gasoline become even more expensive if Russia's crude oil exports are hit by tensions with Ukraine
• Chinese President Xi Jinping Calls Russian Leader Vladimir Putin His 'Best Friend', Offers Russia Support As Its Standoff With US And NATO Over Ukraine

World trend around small modular reactors

For Celso Cunha, president of the Brazilian Association for the Development of Nuclear Activities (ABDAN), the message from the president of Brazil shows that the country is very attentive to the new world trend around small modular reactors.

Cunha reported that the whole world is looking for this technology, precisely because of the series of additional advantages it has, unlike large conventional reactors. Russia is one of the main countries to participate directly in the development of these small modular reactors, through its state-owned company, Rosatom.  

Other countries are also at the forefront of developing small modular reactors.

According to Cunha, China will build around 150 reactors over the next 15 years. France recently announced that it has started production of nuclear reactors. Other European countries are already analyzing the possibility of including, within the margin of financing considered “green”, the nuclear source.

And regarding the United States, Cunha reported that the North American country is supporting the construction of small reactors, mainly for the production of hydrogen. The president of ABDAN also said that, if Brazil wants to meet the climate goals established by the last climate conference, COP-26, it will not be able to run away from new investments in the source of nuclear energy.

However, Cunha recalled that the technology of small modular reactors is still very new and with different models being developed in different countries. He also highlighted the construction of modular reactors in the country, emphasizing that this is not possible, since Brazil still does not have a broad and necessary set of technical information and necessary resources for this.

Study on Brazil's energy matrix

ABDAN, since January of this year, in partnership with the Electrical Sector Study Group of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (GESEL/UFRJ), is developing a study to identify all the barriers that may prevent the entry of small modular nuclear energy in Brazil's energy matrix.

According to the president of ABDAN, the expectation is that the study and field research will last at least four months, and the results will be announced between the months of April and May of this year.

In 2021, ABDAN launched the Permanent Forum on Small Modular Reactors, whose collegiate body is composed of representatives of the EPE entities, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Nuclear Safety Authority, the General Directorate of Nuclear and Technological Development of the Navy, the Naval Agency of Nuclear Safety and Quality of the Brazilian Navy, Eletrobras Research Center – CEPEL, ABDAN, International Atomic Energy Agency – AIEA, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and other Research Institutes.