7 Nov (NucNet): Areva has signed a contract worth 1.25 billion euros (1.6 billion US dollars) with the Brazilian power company Eletrobras Eletronuclear for the completion of construction of the Angra-3 reactor unit in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the company has announced.
Areva said it will supply engineering services and components, as well as the digital instrumentation and control system for the reactor. The group will also provide assistance in the supervision of the installation works and commissioning activities.
This contract marks the 103rd reactor built by the Areva group, the company said.
Areva president and chief executive officer Luc Oursel said the completion of Angra-3 confirms Brazil’s engagement in an ambitious nuclear programme and illustrates the relevance of nuclear as a solution for sustainable economic development.
Construction of the 1,400-megawatt Angra-3 Siemens/KWU pressurised water reactor was started in 1984 and halted in 1986 because of a lack of financing. According to Eletrobras Eletronuclear almost 47 percent of civil works is complete.
In 2007, a government energy policy committee authorised completion of the unit, and the country’s nuclear regulator granted a construction permit in May 2010.
In January 2011 Brazilian national development bank BNDES approved 6.1 billion Brazilian real (2.6 billion US dollars, 1.9 billion euros) of financing for construction.
Brazil has two commercial nuclear reactors in operation, Angra-1 and Angra-2. They generate about three percent of the country’s electricity.
