- Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory
The Nuclear Fuel Factory (FCN) is located at
Resende ,state of Rio de Janeiro , comprising three units, and has a production capacity of 280 tons ofuranium per year. At present, FCN was modernized and produces at the Components and Assembly Unit the fuel rods and fuel elements needed for Braziliannuclear 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 supplied the uranium, which is transported toCanada where it’s converted into hexafluoride gas, and then to theUnited Kingdom 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 "Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear - CNEN" (the Brazilian nuclear regulatory authority) and supervised by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continuously performs a balance of the material in processing with a precision reaching tenths of milligrams. [ [http://www.inb.gov.br/resendeElemento.asp Sobre a INB ] ]IAEA Inspections
By late 2003 the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 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 inspectors to the uranium enrichment facility being built in Resende. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/04/04/brazil.nuclear/index.html CNN.com - Sources: Brazil blocks nuclear inspectors - Apr 4, 2004 ] ] Theplant , scheduled to begin operation in October 2004, remains subject toIAEA inspections aimed at making sure it is notused for producing weapons-grade material. In February and March 2004 Brazil refused to letIAEA inspectors see equipment in the plant, citing a need to protect proprietary information. The IAEA had dispatched inspectors toResende 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
IAEA was able to reach an agreement in principle with the Brazilian government on a safeguards approach to verify the enrichment facilities inBrazil , at theResende facility. [ [http://asp.usatoday.com/community/utils/idmap/12538030.story USATODAY.com - Diplomats: IAEA, Brazil reach agreement ] ] 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
* [http://www.inb.gov.br/ INB (in Portuguese)]
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