O Maringa Regional Airport – Sílvio Name Júnior, located in the Northwest of Paraná, you will receive a photovoltaic plant which expects to reduce the terminal's electricity costs by 95%, which is around R$1 million per year.
O BRDE (Regional Development Bank of the Far South) is allocating R$6,4 million to finance the project, with resources raised through AFD (French Development Agency).
Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior signed, last Friday (24), the service order that authorizes the start of installation of the solar plant, which will have a generation capacity of 0,7 MWh and will be the first installed at a regional airport from Brazil.
According to the state government, the project will be built in an area that belongs to the airport and should begin operations in around six months.
The resource should also be used to expand the airport's departure lounge. To this end, BRDE and the company that manages the terminal signed a memorandum of understanding to finance the work with surplus funds from the plant's implementation project. The estimated value is R$ 1,1 million.
“This is a sustainability project. It will be the third self-sufficient airport in Brazil, that is, it will generate solar energy to meet all the airport's demand”, said governor Ratinho Junior.
According to Wilson Bley Lipski, president of BRDE, a technical feasibility study was carried out for the installation of the photovoltaic system, which included equipment models, generation capacity and history of solar incidence in the region. The amount raised with AFD was €1,16 million.
“It is not just a line of credit, but a resource that comes from an international fund to help promote the economic, social and sustainable development of Paraná”, he said.
The project is part of BRDE Energias Limpas e Renováveis, which has already allocated R$536,8 million to projects in this area in Paraná since 2019. The resource includes the installation and acquisition of equipment, in addition to the feasibility study.
Ulisses Maia, mayor of Maringá, stated that the airport's movement mirrors the city's policies in this area. “We are building two solar plants to serve all city hall buildings, saving R$30 million per year on electricity bills. In three years we will pay for the plant and in the fourth year we will be able to invest in other areas”, he added.
“It is the first solar plant at regional airports in Brazil. It is a very special day, a step towards a sustainable future and a milestone for the city. This project will transform it into a national example”, concluded Fernando Rezende, superintendent director of the airport.
