Valéria Alves
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Vale S.A.
Valéria Emiliana Alves is a PhD candidate in Nuclear Science and Technology at CDTN/CNEN in Brazil, focusing on regulatory frameworks for aging management of nuclear research reactors. Currently a Regulatory Affairs Expert at Vale S.A., she leads initiatives in energy governance, compliance, and policy.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Leadership
Financing the Future Energy Supply
Forum 27 | Digital Poster Plaza 5
28
April
12:30
14:30
UTC+3
This article explores a strategic intersection between mining land rehabilitation and renewable energy development, offering a solution to global energy and transmission challenges. It argues that by leveraging innovative updates of existing regulations, countries like Brazil can transform their mining liabilities—specifically inactive tailings dams—into significant assets for a decentralized, self-generating energy supply. This approach offers a powerful new framework for degraded land rehabilitation, turning a mandatory closure procedure into a catalyst for national energy security.
Drawing on international precedents and legislation, this analysis highlights a global shift in perspective. In Australia, the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act and the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act emphasize sustainable post-mining land use, creating a regulatory environment where solar projects could be integrated into closure plans. Similarly, Chile's Ley No. 20.551 (Mine Closure), which requires financial guarantees and detailed rehabilitation strategies, provides a clear legal pathway. In South Africa, the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) also mandates rehabilitation and post-mining land use planning, offering a comparable legal basis for similar initiatives. This technological neutrality of the law is critical, as demonstrated by Anglo American's pilot floating PV plant on a tailings pond at its Los Bronces mine, which showcases the technical feasibility and environmental benefits of such projects.
The implementation of such projects is no longer theoretical. Real-world examples confirm the technical and economic viability of this model. In Zambia, Zuwa Solar is developing a large-scale solar farm on the Bwana Mkubwa tailings dams. In the United States, the Questa Mine in New Mexico successfully installed a 1-megawatt solar facility on a reclaimed tailings site, while the Elizabeth Mine in Vermont repurposed a 45-acre capped tailings pile to generate 5 megawatts of power, enough to supply 1,500 homes in the region. These projects underscore the potential for converting contaminated or degraded sites into productive land for clean energy generation.
The article articulates that a similar regulatory adaptation in Brazil, offering incentives to consider solar energy as a valid and beneficial component of the legally required plan to recover degraded lands - PRAD, could bring significant benefits for all stakeholders. It would offer mining companies with nearby active operations a pathway to energy independence and self-generation, reducing reliance on the grid and lowering operational costs. The state would benefit from expanded clean energy capacity without the land-use conflicts associated with new developments, and society would gain a stable, sustainable energy source while simultaneously addressing environmental remediation, as well as effectively reducing regional socioeconomic dependence on mining activities. This innovative model provides a compelling blueprint for how Brazil can strategically finance its energy transition by turning its industrial past into a renewable energy future.
Keywords: Energy Security. Solar. Mining.
Co-author/s:
Estevam Fregapani, Analyst, Vale S.A.
Vinícius Domingues, General Manager of Regulatory Policy Management, Vale S.A.
Amir Mesquita, Professor, CDTN/Cnen.
Daniel Palma, Regulatory Management, Cnen.
Walmir Souza, Regulatory Manager for Energy, Oil and Gas, Vale S.A.
Bruno Pereira, Regulatory Analyst, Vale S.A.
Drawing on international precedents and legislation, this analysis highlights a global shift in perspective. In Australia, the Mining Rehabilitation Fund Act and the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act emphasize sustainable post-mining land use, creating a regulatory environment where solar projects could be integrated into closure plans. Similarly, Chile's Ley No. 20.551 (Mine Closure), which requires financial guarantees and detailed rehabilitation strategies, provides a clear legal pathway. In South Africa, the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) also mandates rehabilitation and post-mining land use planning, offering a comparable legal basis for similar initiatives. This technological neutrality of the law is critical, as demonstrated by Anglo American's pilot floating PV plant on a tailings pond at its Los Bronces mine, which showcases the technical feasibility and environmental benefits of such projects.
The implementation of such projects is no longer theoretical. Real-world examples confirm the technical and economic viability of this model. In Zambia, Zuwa Solar is developing a large-scale solar farm on the Bwana Mkubwa tailings dams. In the United States, the Questa Mine in New Mexico successfully installed a 1-megawatt solar facility on a reclaimed tailings site, while the Elizabeth Mine in Vermont repurposed a 45-acre capped tailings pile to generate 5 megawatts of power, enough to supply 1,500 homes in the region. These projects underscore the potential for converting contaminated or degraded sites into productive land for clean energy generation.
The article articulates that a similar regulatory adaptation in Brazil, offering incentives to consider solar energy as a valid and beneficial component of the legally required plan to recover degraded lands - PRAD, could bring significant benefits for all stakeholders. It would offer mining companies with nearby active operations a pathway to energy independence and self-generation, reducing reliance on the grid and lowering operational costs. The state would benefit from expanded clean energy capacity without the land-use conflicts associated with new developments, and society would gain a stable, sustainable energy source while simultaneously addressing environmental remediation, as well as effectively reducing regional socioeconomic dependence on mining activities. This innovative model provides a compelling blueprint for how Brazil can strategically finance its energy transition by turning its industrial past into a renewable energy future.
Keywords: Energy Security. Solar. Mining.
Co-author/s:
Estevam Fregapani, Analyst, Vale S.A.
Vinícius Domingues, General Manager of Regulatory Policy Management, Vale S.A.
Amir Mesquita, Professor, CDTN/Cnen.
Daniel Palma, Regulatory Management, Cnen.
Walmir Souza, Regulatory Manager for Energy, Oil and Gas, Vale S.A.
Bruno Pereira, Regulatory Analyst, Vale S.A.
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Technologies
Solar, Wind and Nuclear Integration
Forum 21 | Technical Programme Hall 4
28
April
14:30
16:00
UTC+3
The integration of nuclear, solar, and wind energy sources in a cohesive and reliable energy system is contingent upon not only new technologies but also on the sustainable operation of existing infrastructure. Nuclear Research Reactors (NRRs), which support critical applications in radioisotope production, materials science, and advanced reactor development, are central to this ecosystem. However, the majority of NRRs worldwide are over 40 years old, thereby requiring structured aging management strategies to ensure safety, performance, and continuity.
This study focuses on the regulatory and technical aspects of aging management for nuclear research reactors in Brazil. It presents an original and systematic proposal to strengthen the national regulatory framework through the incorporation of established international best practices from credible bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC). The research highlights the Brazilian case of the TRIGA® (or Triga) IPR-R1 reactor, operated for over six decades, as a model for implementing long-term aging management policies.
The proposed approach addresses the assessment of physical degradation, obsolescence of instrumentation and control systems, environmental stressors, and administrative challenges. It incorporates tools such as Time-Limited Aging Analyses (TLAA), Periodic Safety Review (PSR), and structured monitoring of structures, systems, and components (SSCs). By adapting global standards to national realities, the study outlines a path for sustainable operation and regulatory modernization.
In the broader context of energy transition, well-managed research reactors contribute to nuclear innovation, enhance system reliability when coupled with intermittent renewables, and enable hydrogen production technologies. Thus, aging management is not merely a maintenance issue — rather, it is a strategic enabler of a resilient and decarbonized energy future.
This research contributes to the regulatory discussion on aging management and supports the integration of nuclear research infrastructure into a more sustainable and resilient energy system.
Co-author/s:
Amir Mesquita, Professor, CDTN/Cnen.
Daniel Palma, Regulatory Management, Cnen.
This study focuses on the regulatory and technical aspects of aging management for nuclear research reactors in Brazil. It presents an original and systematic proposal to strengthen the national regulatory framework through the incorporation of established international best practices from credible bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC). The research highlights the Brazilian case of the TRIGA® (or Triga) IPR-R1 reactor, operated for over six decades, as a model for implementing long-term aging management policies.
The proposed approach addresses the assessment of physical degradation, obsolescence of instrumentation and control systems, environmental stressors, and administrative challenges. It incorporates tools such as Time-Limited Aging Analyses (TLAA), Periodic Safety Review (PSR), and structured monitoring of structures, systems, and components (SSCs). By adapting global standards to national realities, the study outlines a path for sustainable operation and regulatory modernization.
In the broader context of energy transition, well-managed research reactors contribute to nuclear innovation, enhance system reliability when coupled with intermittent renewables, and enable hydrogen production technologies. Thus, aging management is not merely a maintenance issue — rather, it is a strategic enabler of a resilient and decarbonized energy future.
This research contributes to the regulatory discussion on aging management and supports the integration of nuclear research infrastructure into a more sustainable and resilient energy system.
Co-author/s:
Amir Mesquita, Professor, CDTN/Cnen.
Daniel Palma, Regulatory Management, Cnen.
