Brazilian Nuclear Safety Authority Opens Public Consultation on Updates to Nuclear Power Plant and Industrial Nuclear Instrumentation Regulations

The Brazilian National Nuclear Safety Authority (ANSN) has launched a public consultation to update regulations for nuclear power plants and industrial applications. The initiative aims to revise requirements for notification of operational events at the Angra Nuclear Power Plant and establish unprecedented radiation protection rules for measurement instruments in the production sector; comments will be accepted until September.

The regulatory body's action is part of the industry's institutional improvement schedule, calling on power generation companies, operators, universities, and supply chain participants to submit technical contributions to the new normative texts. The revision aims to standardize information processes at nuclear power plants, improve technical oversight, and expand governance of operational data at the Almirante Álvaro Alberto Nuclear Power Plant located in Angra dos Reis.

Celso Cunha, President of the Brazilian Association for Nuclear Activity Development (ABDAN), emphasized the importance of participatory construction of the regulatory framework: The evolution of Brazil's regulatory framework demonstrates the institutional maturity of the sector. Public consultations like this one allow experts, companies, and universities to contribute to the development of regulations that are more robust, more modern, and aligned with the best international standards. The development of nuclear energy depends on predictable and technically reliable regulations to attract investment and innovation.

The second proposal concerns a draft resolution for facilities using fixed and mobile nuclear measurement instruments. This technology is widely used in capital-intensive and energy-intensive industrial sectors such as mining, steel, pulp, cement, and oil and gas exploration. ANSN Director Alessandro Facure noted that the guideline for the new resolution is to ensure these applications meet high safety standards for workers, the public, and the environment, and emphasized the importance of technical community participation in the consultation.

The comment period ends on August 29, 2026 (for the revision of ANSN NN 1.14 regulation applicable to nuclear power plants) and September 13, 2026 (for the regulation of nuclear measurement instruments in industry). The initiative aims to ensure the sustainable expansion of nuclear technology in Brazil's national energy mix while providing greater legal certainty.