A ceremony was held in February to mark the start of infrastructure works for the project which has been in development since 2008. When complete it will provide benefits in a range of areas, notably healthcare where it will ensure Brazil's self-sufficiency in the production of the radioisotope molybdenum-99 and others vital for diagnostics and treatment.
It will also allow the expansion of the testing and development of nuclear fuels and materials, boost scientific research and innovation including by the use of neutron beams, and bring benefits in a range of areas including industry and agriculture.
The RMB is similar to Argentina's RA-10 multipurpose reactor, a 30 MWt open-pool research reactor which is currently under construction with operation scheduled in the next year or two. Invap signed the agreement in 2013 to build the two research reactors - one in each country - with the reference design to be the Open Pool Australian Light-water (Opal) research reactor that Invap supplied to the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation. At the time it was estimated that between them, the two new reactors would provide capacity to supply 40% of the world's isotope demand.
The multipurpose reactor is to be part of a two million square metre site which, it is proposed, will also host laboratories for researching nuclear fusion, particle accelerators and radiopharmaceutical development and production. The cost has been estimated at USD500 million and the target construction timeline is 5 years.
