Brazil focuses on nuclear program

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 8 (UPI) -- Brazil's government plans to move forward with its nuclear program.

Over the next several years Brazil will begin work on nuclear power plants and an atomic submarine, said Science and Technology Minister Sergio Rezende.

"Nuclear power is competitive and has a much lower cost than that generated with diesel and coal," Rezende said. "The president is close to signing an executive order to create the Committee for the Development of the Brazilian Nuclear Program."

Uranium enrichment, planning for new nuclear power plants and expanding the number of professionals trained in nuclear medicine would also be included in the national program, he said; however, the government's agenda calls for discussions before making decisions on new plants, EFE reported.

Under the plan, the National Nuclear Energy Commission will be given the task of strengthening the uranium supply by completing the first phase of a uranium-enrichment facility, increasing uranium exploration and production and building components for nuclear power plants.

Brazil plans to use its proven uranium reserves, which rank as the sixth-largest in the world, and the plan was crafted by the Energy and Mines Ministry, which is also studying the construction of up to four 1,000-megawatt nuclear plants by 2030.

The Science and Technology Plan projects $24.7 billion in capital by 2010, not including labor costs.