Visit of U.S. NRC Commissioner to Rio de Janeiro

UNCLAS RIO DE JANEIRO 000262

SIPDIS

STATE PASS NRC

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KSCA KNNP BR
SUBJECT: Visit of U.S. NRC Commissioner to Rio de Janeiro


1. (SBU) From 10-12 May 2006, Consulate hosted Commissioner
Jeffrey Merrifield of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) for a series of meetings with nuclear regulatory
counterpart officials at the Brazilian National Nuclear
Energy Commission (CNEN),the Brazil-Argentine Agency for
the Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC),and
a site visit to the Angra Nuclear Power Plant.


2. (SBU) Commissioner Merrifield's trip followed visits
with regulatory counterparts in Argentina May 7-10. He was
accompanied by Kathryn Barber Nolan, his Legal Counsel and
Jennifer Schwartzman, International Relations Specialist,
Office of International Programs. The visit highlighted the
NRC's interest in strengthening cooperation with its
regulatory counterparts in South America.


3. (SBU) The Commissioner began his visit to Brazil with a
roundtable discussion of energy and nuclear issues in Brazil
with Consul General Atkins and the country team. Highlights
of the discussion included: (1) the impact of the
nationalization of the Bolivian natural gas industry on
Brazil's energy matrix and economy, and Brazil's subsequent
increased consideration of nuclear energy options; (2) the
history and current status of Brazil's naval nuclear
endeavors; and (3) current safety and security concerns in
the area.


4. (SBU) On May 11, the Commissioner visited the Angra
Nuclear Power Plant in Angra dos Reis. He was unable to
visit the Angra 1 reactor due to an upcoming refueling
outage, but instead toured Angra Unit 2, a 1350 MWe
pressurized water reactor (PWR) designed by Siemens. The
tour included access to the radiation controlled area,
including access to containment, where the group viewed the
spent fuel pool and various internal components. The
Commissioner also visited the control room, the diesel
generators, and other portions of the power block.
Commissioner Merrifield noted that the material condition of
the unit was very good. He then visited the construction
site for Angra Unit 3, which is nearly identical in design
to Angra 2, and is approximately 30 percent complete. The
Commissioner visited the warehouses where the components are
being stored until construction resumes. The site is
currently undergoing an environmental assessment, and
floodwater is being drained from the area in anticipation of
a government "green light" to resume construction. During
the tour, the Commissioner discussed with Plant Manager
Ricardo dos Santos the successes and challenges experienced
at the two operating units.


5. (SBU) On May 12, the Commissioner visited ABACC's
headquarters in downtown Rio de Janeiro and met with
Secretary Antonio Abel Oliveira; Mr. Ruben Novo,

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Administrative and Finance Manager; Ms. Iona Ponce,
Institutional Relations Manager, and several other
professional staff. They discussed the current state of the
U.S. nuclear program and priorities for the NRC. Dr.
Oliveira provided an overview of ABACC's history, mission
and responsibilities in the safeguards area. The
Commissioner also visited the technical support center and
viewed various safeguards equipment used by the ABACC
inspectors, including cameras, other surveillance items, and
equipment for sampling and testing nuclear materials.


6. (SBU) Following his meeting at ABACC, the Commissioner
met with President Odair Goncalves of CNEN. Also in
attendance were Dr. Laercio Vinhas and Dr. Sergio Bogado,
who provided a presentation on Brazil's nuclear program and
CNEN's licensing and inspection activities. President
Goncalves provided an overview of CNEN's history, structure,
mission and regulatory responsibilities from nuclear power
to medicinal radiology. The group discussed the fact that
CNEN and NRC share common challenges such as an aging
workforce and possible review of applications for new units.
They also discussed prospects for resuming construction on
Angra 3, the current government's favorable attitude toward
nuclear energy, and the expansion of CNEN's regulatory
responsibilities if new power plants are constructed.
Overall, Commissioner Merrifield was left with a favorable
impression of the Brazilian regulator, particularly the
resident inspectors he met at the Angra site.

Atkins