The Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, said last November 22, that the Brazilian nuclear program is a priority for Brazil and that, after "ups and downs", the country returns to a level "that we can dream about". Albuquerque stressed that the forecast is that by 2020 the construction of the Angra 3 nuclear power plant will resume: "We will probably start Angra 3 in 2020".

The minister participated in the presentation of the Nuclear Recognition Award of the Brazilian Association for the Development of Nuclear Activities (Abdan), which is in its third edition.

"The nuclear program for Brazil is a priority. It is part of our energy matrix and, due to the characteristics of our country, we cannot give up this energy source," he said.

The Brazilian nuclear program began in the 1950s. The Angra 1 and Angra 2 plants were built and started operating on the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the following decades. The complex is administered by Eletronuclear. The nuclear source accounts for about 3% of power generation in Brazil.

Angra 3 will be the third power plant at Almirante Álvaro Alberto Nuclear Power Station, located on Itaorna beach in Angra dos Reis (RJ). According to Eletronuclear, when it comes into commercial operation, the new unit with a capacity of 1,405 megawatts, will be able to generate more than 12 million megawatts per year, enough energy to supply the cities of Brasilia and Belo Horizonte during the same period. With Angra 3, nuclear power will generate 50% of the state of Rio de Janeiro's consumption.

More than 60% of the Angra 3 Plant was built, at a cost of almost R $ 10 billion. To complete the work there is another R $ 15 billion in investments.

The prediction of the resumption of works for 2020 was reinforced by the president of Abdan, Celso Cunha. According to him, this year, for the sector, it was "untie us". "The thermonuclear generation sector is beginning to present a solution to the conclusion of the Angra 3 impediment," he said.

The ceremony took place at the Naval Club of Rio de Janeiro, with the awarding of honor to Admiral Eduardo Bacellar Leal Ferreira; the researchers Aldo Malavasi and Carlos Alberto Aragão de Carvalho Filho; and to engineer João Carlos Cunha Bastos.