Dictatorship and corporate favoritism: the controversial awarding of the Angra Nuclear power plants and possible irregular activities in the electric sector

Abstract

This article aims to analyze two cases of overlap between public and private interests during the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship, focusing on the awarding process of civil construction works at the Angra dos Reis nuclear power plants and internal reports of alleged irregularities within Furnas, the owner of the plants. The research sources include reports produced by Eletrobrás, as well as statements made by members of Furnas and Eletrobrás management during the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on the Brazil–Federal Republic of Germany Nuclear Agreement, established in the Senate in 1978. Based on these documents and considering the literature on the subject, it is possible to assert that there was a deliberate governmental effort to prevent the proper investigation of suspected irregularities in public administration and the involvement of corporate groups in this process.