Brazil Accelerates Reactor Work For Nuclear Submarine Program

Sea Power, Jul 2004

Brazilian sources indicated in late May that a special budget of around $7.8 million was to be released immediately for the completion of a land-based nuclear reactor prototype that will be utilized in the SNAC-2 nuclear-powered submarine program.

The reactor will be completed and tested at the Armar Research Center. The reactor, identified as RENAP-11 is expected to become operational by 2005 and will be tested and made suitable for naval service for the first unit of the SNAC-2 program.

The SNAC-2 program has been under way since 1979, but has been stalled by consistent funding shortfalls. The Brazilian Navy hopes to finally move forward with this program due its high priority and prestige associated with it. Current planning calls for a contract design by 2006 and a construction contract by 2009, with the first nuclear unit of a three-ship class commissioning in 2018.

The first unit of the class will be a conventionally powered variant under the Tikuna SNAC-1 program - in order to test the hull concept prior to installing the nuclear reactors on units two and three.