Is Brazil the Next Global Leader in Nuclear Energy?

December 3, 2008

Brazil is the 10th largest energy consumer in the world and the third largest in the Western Hemisphere, behind the United States and Canada. Total primary energy consumption in Brazil has increased significantly in recent years. In addition, Brazil has made great strides in increasing its total energy production, particularly oil, over the past decade. Increasing domestic oil production has been a long-term goal of the Brazilian government.

Nuclear power is the controlled use of nuclear reactions to release energy for work including propulsion, heat, and the generation of electricity. Human use of nuclear power to do significant useful work is currently limited to nuclear fission and radioactive decay. Nuclear energy is produced when a fissile material, such as uranium-235(235U), is concentrated such that nuclear fission takes place in a controlled chain reaction and creates heat - which is used to boil water, produce steam, and drive a steam turbine. The turbine can be used for mechanical work and also to generate electricity. Nuclear power is used to power most military submarines and aircraft carriers and provides 7% of the world's energy and 15.7% of the world's electricity.

Electricity consumption in Brazil has grown strongly since 1990. Per capita consumption is 2235 kWh/yr. Nuclear energy provides 3% of the country's electricity - about 13 billion kWh per year. Hydro provides 92% of the total, and gives rise to some climatic vulnerability, which is driving policy to diminish dependence on it.

This report covers all the aspects of the Brazilian nuclear power industry and analyzes each point in detail, dealing with market analysis, production/consumption data, energy industry reforms, regulatory frameworks, and much more. It is a complete coverage of the Brazilian nuclear power industry.