Brazil announces delay in operation of its third nuclear plant

The Brazilian government confirmed on Friday a two year delay in the inauguration of Angra 3, the country's third nuclear power plant. Instead of becoming fully operational by June 2016, the plant, like Brazil's other nuclear plants Angra 1 and 2 located in Angra dos Reis, some 114 kilometers from Rio, will only be ready for operation two years later in May 2018, according to Othon Luiz Pinheiro, president of the state-owned company Eletronuclear. The official blamed the delay on new safety requirements and equipment adaptations, which called for a longer construction period. The construction of Angra 3 at some 12.9 billion reais (6.05 billion U.S. dollars) resumed in 2010 after suspension for years. The plant is designed to generate over 12 million megawatt a year. Brazil had serious energy supply problems at the beginning of the 2000s, which led to nationwide energy rationing for one year. The energy crisis resulted in the construction of several new hydroelectric power plants and thermal power plants for backup.