CONSULTING

what remains probably the largest single contract in the history of the world nuclear industry for
the construction of eight 1.3 GW reactors over a 15-year period. However, due to an everincreasing
debt burden and obvious interest in nuclear weapons by the Brazilian military,
practically the entire program was abandoned. Only the first reactor, Angra-2, was finally
connected to the grid in July 2000, 24 years after construction started.
The construction of Angra-3 was started in 1984 but abandoned in June 1991. However, in
May 2010, Brazil’s Nuclear Energy Commission issued a construction license and the IAEA noted
that a “new” construction started on 1 June 2010. In early 2011, the Brazilian national
development bank (BNDES) approved a 6.1 billion Reais (US$3.6 billion) loan for work on the
reactor. 383 Reportedly, in November 2013, Eletrobras Eletronuclear signed a €1.25 billion
(US$1.425 billion) contract with French builder AREVA for the completion of the plant. 384
According to AREVA, in the first quarter of 2015, 13 percent of the “work packages” had been
approved for delivery to Brazil. “Progress on the project is dependent on the securing of project
financing by the customer”, AREVA added. 385 Commissioning was previously planned for
July 2016 but has been delayed to May 2018. No reasons were given for the new delays. 386
The position on nuclear power of the incoming government under President Mauricio Macri
remains unclear. The issue did not play any role in the December 2015 election.
Canada operates 19 reactors, all of which are CANDU (CANadian Deuterium Uranium),
providing 95.6 TWh or 16.6 percent of the country’s electricity in 2015 (down from a maximum
of 19.1 percent in 1994), but 60 percent of the Province of Ontario’s provincial power supply.
However, in Ontario, the role of wind power is rapidly expanding and already represents
10 percent of the Province's installed capacity—versus 36 percent for nuclear—and has doubled
its share in the generation mix from 3 to 6 percent in just two years. 387
The Canadian CANDU reactor design typically requires extensive repair and upgrading work to
operate beyond 25 years. This work—often referred to as re-tubing or refurbishment—involves
the removal and replacement of hundreds of highly radioactive pressure tubes from the reactor
core, as well as the replacement of other life-limiting components, such as steam generators, and
the upgrading of plant systems to meet modern regulatory requirements.
The estimated cost of extending the life of a CANDU reactor has tripled over the past fifteen years.
In 2002, the cost of refurbishing New Brunswick’s single unit Point Lepreau nuclear station was
estimated at CAD840 million (US$533 million). 388 In 2012, Hydro-Quebec estimated the cost of
383 However, it is surprising to note that AREVA’s 400-page Reference Document 2012 does not even
contain the word “Angra”.
384 NucNet, “Brazil Releases Production Figures For Angra Nuclear Station”, 20 January 2014, see
http://www.nucnet.org/all-the-news/2014/01/20/brazil-releases-production-figures-for-angra-nuclear-station;
and WNN, “Areva contracted to complete Angra 3”, 8 November 2013, see http://www.world-nuclearnews.org/C-Areva-contracted-to-complete-Angra-3-081134.html;
both accessed 16 June 2016.
385 AREVA, Press Release, 29 April 2015.
386 NIW, “Briefs—Brazil”, 9 January 2015.
387 IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator), “Supply Overview”, see
http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Power-Data/supply.aspx, accessed 5 June 2016.
388 NB Power, “Project Execution Plan—Appendix A-4, Table 1-1”, February 2002.
Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt et al. 121 World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2016