Development of a bilateral technology transfer agreement. 2

On the basis of positive experience of bilateral co-operation in science and technology, particularly under the intergovernmental agreement in 1969, the Federal Republic of Germany and Brazil undertook a joint study of the energy demand and supply development in Brazil. This assessment concluded that nuclear energy would have to provide a substantial share of Brazil's electricity supply in the decades to come and that this could be achieved in a reliable, technically and economically sound manner only if Brazil would, over time, acquire appropriate technical and industrial competence in building nuclear power stations, and in the nuclear fuel cycle. To meet these requirements, a comprehensive design for co-operation between public and private institutions of both countries was set up, covering scientific, industrial, training, regulatory and other aspects of the Brazilian nuclear energy programme and defining material contents, institutional structures and time schedules of such co-operation. The overall theme was the transfer of Federal German nuclear technology and expertise to Brazil, as and when required, their optimal assimilation and, where necessary, adjustment or further development in Brazil. To provide the necessary legal and political framework for that co-operation, a number of agreements and contracts were concluded between different partners from both countries, interconnected as appropriate and governed by a specific intergovernmental agreement on peaceful nuclear co-operation, the contents and motives of which are described in the paper. The paper outlines the major developments in the implementation of co-operation and technology transfer between the Federal Republic of Germany and Brazil, and draws conclusions from experience gained during that process. (author)