Steel producer ArcelorMittal and developer Atlas Renewable Energy have completed, three months ahead of schedule, the construction of a 315 MW solar power plant in Paracatu, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project is part of the Luiz Santos Solar Park.
In total, the plant has a delivery capacity of 74 MW on average per year, a volume capable of supplying approximately 340 typical Brazilian homes. The investment is R$ 895 million, and the plant will be fully controlled by ArcelorMittal starting this month.
The agreement stipulated the creation of a joint venture during the implementation phase, with the steel company subsequently acquiring full ownership of the stake after the start of commercial operations. In total, 516 bifacial modules combined with trackers were installed.
The project is also Atlas' first to use a pre-assembled cabling system, a technology that replaces the manual installation of individual cables and, according to the company, speeds up construction, increases the reliability of connections, and enhances safety.
The project also includes a 65 km, 500 kV transmission line connected to the SIN (National Interconnected System), as well as a step-up substation and a connection point at the Paracatu 4 Substation. According to the company, the objective of the investment is to advance towards energy self-sufficiency.
“All the energy generated by the plant will be used for our operations. This is another important move that will diversify our energy mix, reduce operating costs and increase competitiveness,” said Everton Negresiolo, CEO of ArcelorMittal's long steel products unit in Latin America.
The Luiz Santos Solar Park is part of ArcelorMittal's R$ 5,8 billion investment plan in renewable energy generation, which also includes a hybrid park (wind and solar) in Bahia.
The company's goal is to achieve 100% electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Last year, the company ended the year with 61% self-generation and 39% purchased energy from suppliers with a clean energy matrix.
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