The Nuclear Fuel Factory (FCN) is located near Resende,

state of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...

, comprising three units, and has a production capacity of 280 tons of

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

per year. At present, FCN was modernized and produces at the Components and Assembly Unit the fuel rods and fuel elements needed for Brazilian nuclear reactors. The Reconversion and Pellets Production Unit is operating since 1999 with a capacity of 160 tons of UO₂ pellets/year. The UO₂ reconversion line uses the AUC process. The Nuclear Fuel Factory also produces other fuel element components, such as top and bottom nozzles, spacer grids and end plugs for export demands. Previously,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

supplied the uranium, which is transported to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

where it’s converted into hexafluoride gas (UF₆), and then to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for enrichment before it returns to Brazil for fabrication into fuel elements. The unit has an in-house nuclear safety program and an external one, for environmental monitoring. A nuclear accounting system, internally implemented, required by the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and supervised by the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...

continuously performs a balance of the material in processing with a precision reaching tenths of milligrams. In 2018 a seventh cascade of centrifuges was inaugurated, increasing enrichment capacity by 25%. This gives the plant the capacity to produce about 50% of the annual fuel requirements of Angra Nuclear Power Plant unit 1. The new cascade is the first part of a ten cascade expansion plan.

IAEA Inspections

By late 2003 the

was negotiating with the Brazilian Government to ensure that the new uranium enrichment facility, due to begin operating in 2005, was properly safeguarded. In April 2004 the Brazilian Government denied access for the

IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...

inspectors to the uranium enrichment facility being built in Resende. The

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

, scheduled to begin operation in October 2004, remains subject to

inspections aimed at making sure it is not used for producing weapons-grade material. In February and March 2004 Brazil refused to let

inspectors see equipment in the plant, citing a need to protect proprietary information. The IAEA had dispatched inspectors to Resende who found significant portions of the facility and its contents shielded from view. Walls had been built and coverings are draped over equipment. By November 2004 the

was able to reach an agreement in principle with the Brazilian government on a safeguards approach to verify the enrichment facilities in

, at the Resende facility.USATODAY.com - Diplomats: IAEA, Brazil reach agreement
/ref> This approach would enable the IAEA to do credible inspections but at the same time take care of Brazil's need to protect certain commercial sensitivity inside the facility.

References

External links

{{Portal, Brazil, Energy
INB (in Portuguese)
Nuclear technology Nuclear power in Brazil