The article analyzes the Brazilian and Argentine experience in nuclear nonproliferation since the 1991 establishment of a regional binational safeguards agency, known as the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC). After these two countries signed their Bilateral Agreement, considerable positive change occurred in their nuclear-related activities so that there is presently no concern in the international community or in Brazil and Argentina about the possibility of non-peaceful use of nuclear energy in the region. The Bilateral Agreement establishing ABACC was also a milestone for the Mercosul Agreement and for South American economic integration. This paper describes the evolution of nuclear energy development in the two countries, highlighting the significance of the agreements signed, the barriers established to prevent proliferation, and the challenges faced by ABACC.

A perspectiva da Energia Nuclear no Brasil é analisada sob os aspectos demanda, custos, ambiental, tecnológico e estratégico. A demanda energética projetada, mesmo para crescimentos abaixo dos desejados e considerando algum esforço de redução da intensidade energética, mostra a necessidade de adicionar energia térmica à geração elétrica, hoje predominantemente hídrica. A energia nuclear deve ter participação nessa geração por motivos econômicos, ambientais, tecnológicos e estratégicos.