Brazil joins nuclear elite
Brazil joins nuclear elite
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Monday, 08, May 2006 08:40
Brazil has successfully enriched uranium for fuel use, according to a government minister.
Brazilian officials said they had developed refinement technology 25 times more efficient than existing procedures in the US or France.
Scientists at the facility in Resende, just outside of Rio de Janeiro, opened a new centrifuge on Friday.
Speculation has intensified about the nuclear capacity of South America's largest country two years after Brazilian officials refused to allow UN inspectors access to certain parts of the facility, claiming they wanted to protect domestic technology.
Science and technology minister Sergio Rezende told a press conference on Saturday the enrichment centre would save Brazil millions of dollars spent to enrich fuel at Urenco, the European enrichment consortium.
The Brazilian government said it was confident of meeting all of its nuclear energy needs within a decade as a consequence.
Mr Rezende stressed Brazil, which has the world's sixth-largest uranium reserves, was committed to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Brazil has joined the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.