Brazil announced the construction of seven nuclear plants by 2025 to ensure energy sufficiency with economic efficiency.

Chief cabinet coordinator Dilma Rousseff said the long term plan to construct nuclear plants is geared to achieve "economic efficiency" and will represent a doubling of Brazil’s current nuclear energy contribution to the national grid from 2.5 to 5.6%.

The plan is currently in Brazil’s executive and will begin to be addressed once the presidential runoff is over next October 29.

Odair Dias Gonçalves head of Brazil’s National Committee on Nuclear Energy was more precise as to the number of nuclear plants planned: "seven reactors by 2025".

Brazil has two nuclear plants, Angra 1 and Angra 2, and the blueprints for Angra 3 which could be finished by 2010.

Edson Kuramoto, president of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Association said that the construction of Angra 3 by 2010 should help Brazil have its own uranium enrichment plant.

Currently the enriched uranium consumed by Brazilian nuclear plants is supplied by Holland.

Mercopress