Integrated analysis of the Brazilian nuclear energy system

Summary National energy planning aims to develop short to long‐term strategies based on a holistic assessment of all available energy sources, guiding trends, and delimiting alternatives to expand the energy segment. In order to maintain the expansion of the electricity supply system while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is essential to use alternative low‐carbon energy sources. The present work aims to use the modeling tool MESSAGE to analyze and evaluate a system of electricity generation from nuclear sources since nuclear energy is an important complementary option for the national energy mix. Thus, this work assesses in an integrated way the national nuclear energy system from its beginning (1983) until 2050. The use of this modeling tool allows a comprehensive analysis of the energy system including energy demand from domestic resources, energy conversion technologies, money flows, investment requirements, and emissions. Therefore, these results provide a basis to support decision‐makers to choose the most appropriate energy mix for national energy planning. In this paper, an integrated analysis on the Brazilian nuclear energy system allows to evaluate the impacts since the beginning of the nuclear energy use in the country. Past and future impacts on the nuclear fuel cycle, energy matrix, greenhouse gas emissions, and economics are shown providing a basis to support decision‐makers about the use of nuclear energy in the country's energy matrix.