Almirante Álvaro Alberto - Unidade I (Antiga Angra I) — Brazil

Almirante Álvaro Alberto - Unidade I (Antiga Angra I) is a 640 MW nuclear power station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is operated by Eletrobras Eletronuclear SA [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.4 million homes (estimated). It ranks #78 of 2,572 Brazil power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 2.1% of Brazil's electricity; the national grid averages 110 gCO₂/kWh (88.7% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id BRA0000100.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as pressurized water reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Brazil nuclear capacity

32.2% of 1,990 MW across 2 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Brazil

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Eletrobras Eletronuclear SA [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 23.0°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #2 largest nuclear power plant of 2 in Brazil by capacity.

Brazil has 2 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 1,990 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Almirante Álvaro Alberto - Unidade II (Antiga Angra II) · Nuclear · 1,350 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• Blue Tree Park Angra dos Reis · Oil · 2 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• Braço · Hydro · 11.5 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• Cachoeira Paulista · Hydro · 1 MW · Sao Paulo
• Funil · Hydro · 216 MW · Rio de Janeiro
• Queluz · Hydro · 30 MW · Sao Paulo

Location

Coordinates -23.0087, -44.4574 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions