Brazil energy chief says Brazil reactors safe

Coverage of Japan’s post-tsunami nuclear emergency is wall-to-wall in Brazil and the country’s energy minister, Edson Lobao, today attempted to calm fears about Brazil’s own atomic power stations. Lobao said the government has no intention of abandoning plans to add to its whopping list of two nuclear power plants, both of which are located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Officials with the state-run electricity authority, Eletrobras, also assured the public that earthquakes strong enough to pose a threat to Brazil’s nuclear plants only occur here once every 50,000 years.