Energy profile of Brazil. [New mining must earn income to finance energy projects necessary for development of mines and processing plants]

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Energy Int.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7325181

Energy is a key element in the country's development; energy for industry, mining and mineral processing, transport, and the affluent society of the industrial southeast. Brazil's great strength is in water power and here lies a dilemma: most of the remaining hydroelectric potential is in the wrong place far from the major load centers. There is coal in the south, of relatively poor quality and worked on a scale far short of that of hydroelectric energy supply. The search for oil off the coast has not fulfilled the promise of early discoveries; and the extent of uranium reserves as a whole has yet to be determined. Brazil has extensive deposits of such important industrial raw materials as iron ore, bauxite, and manganese. With primary energy demand doubling every ten years, researchers are investigating the possibility of utilizing Brazil's tropical climate to grow crops specifically for fuel or converting them into charcoal or liquid fuels. The first nuclear plant in Brazil will not be in operation until late 1978 -- a600-MWe Westinghouse PWR at Angra dos Reis. Hydro energy represented 92 percent of total electricity supply in 1975. Nuclear was adopted as a back-up to provide a thermal component; presently, it is cheaper than other fossil-fueled base load capacity. The specific subjects described in detail are the construction of the world's largest power plant at Itaipu; power transmission into Sao Paulo; the buildup of Brazil's industrial capacity; the Amazon dilemma dealing with its almost insurmountable development; and the expanding power center at Paulo Afonso. (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 7325181
• Journal Information: Energy Int.; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Int.; (United States) Vol. 13:9; ISSN ENEIB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290400 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Energy Resources
292000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Supply
Demand & Forecasting
ACTINIDES
ALUMINIUM ORES
BAUXITE
BRAZIL
CAPITAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
DRILLING
ELECTRIC POWER
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HYDROELECTRIC POWER
INCOME
INDUSTRY
IRON ORES
LATIN AMERICA
MANGANESE
MANUFACTURING
MARKET
METALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINERALS
MINING
NATURAL GAS
OFFSHORE DRILLING
ORES
PETROLEUM
POWER
POWER TRANSMISSION
PRODUCTION
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESOURCES
SOUTH AMERICA
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
URANIUM
VIABILITY