Nuclear Power Plants as Equivalents of Hydroelectric Reservoirs and Providers of Grid Stability: The Case of the Brazilian Electrical System

Ivo Leandro Dorileo (), Welson Bassi and Danilo Ferreira de Souza
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Ivo Leandro Dorileo: Interdisciplinary Center for Studies in Energy Planning (NIEPE), Campus Cuiabá, Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
Welson Bassi: Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE), University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil
Danilo Ferreira de Souza: Interdisciplinary Center for Studies in Energy Planning (NIEPE), Campus Cuiabá, Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-24

Abstract: In the current configuration of Brazil’s hydro-thermal-wind power system, hydroelectric reservoirs have progressively lost their long-term regulatory role due to inadequate planning, inefficient energy use, and reduced inflows. In the context of the energy transition and the incorporation of low-emission technologies into the generation mix, this study proposes expanding nuclear baseload capacity as a “regulatory thermal buffer” to mitigate hydrological uncertainty and strengthen grid stability. Using the São Francisco River basin as a case study, an equivalence factor is developed to relate nuclear energy output to stored hydropower reservoir volume. Results show that nuclear generation can help restore the multi-annual regulatory capacity of Brazil’s hydropower system and enhance the resilience of the National Interconnected System by contributing substantial inertia to an increasingly variable, renewable-based grid.

Keywords: energy transition; hydropower reservoirs; nuclear plants; low emission; grid inertia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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