Power generation will not be enough to serve the population from October onwards 

From October onwards, Brazil's current energy generation capacity will not be sufficient to meet the population's demand. This is what a technical note released by the ONS (National Electric System Operator) warned.  

The study was carried out based on a request made by the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy), after observing a lower inflow than that considered in the previous study, especially in the South region, where the operating capacity of some hydroelectric plants is below the 20%. 

In the document, the body highlights that it is essential to increase the supply of electricity by 5.5 GW (around 7.5%) from September onwards and recommended a series of measures to the Federal Government to avoid energy rationing in the country. The guidelines involve the following actions: 

• Postpone scheduled maintenance of thermoelectric plants, measures that force the plants to stop;
• Create conditions to increase energy imports from Argentina and Uruguay;
• Put into operation thermoelectric plants that currently do not have a contract with the government to supply energy;
• Resolve legal issues that prevent the operation of five thermoelectric plants: Goiânia II, Campina Grande, Maracanaú, Palmeira de Goiás and Pernambuco III;
• Enable a third regasification vessel, to guarantee the natural gas that allows the Termoceará, Fortaleza and Vale do Açu thermoelectric plants to operate;
• Replacement of energy that is no longer generated due to the scheduled maintenance of the Mexilhão platform and the Rota 1 gas pipeline, both owned by Petrobras, which transport natural gas to thermoelectric plants;
• Put into operation the GNA I thermoelectric plant, in São João da Barra (RJ).

The survey also points out that the rain forecasts for the coming months are not encouraging and that the shortage observed, especially in August, resulted in a decrease in reservoir levels of around 10% in relation to what was expected by the entity from the month July. 

Finally, the ONS also highlights that it is taking appropriate technical and operational measures to “maintain continuity of service to electricity consumers in Brazil, even considering the sensitive water situation we currently face, with the record of the lowest inflows in the last 91 years in the National Interconnected System (SIN)”. 

Bolsonaro appeals to the population

After the study was published, President Jair Bolsonaro appealed to the population to save energy. In a broadcast carried out on social media, the head of state said that the water crisis the country is going through is at the “limit of the limit” and asked his viewers to turn off a light in his house. 

“I'm sure you can put out a point of light now. I ask for this favor: turn off a point of light. Help, this way you are helping to save water from hydroelectric plants. We are already at around 10, 15% of storage in most of the dams. We are at the limit of the limit. Some will stop working if this hydrological crisis continues to exist”, he said. 

This Wednesday, the government had already announced measures to encourage energy saving, such as offering discounts on electricity bills to families and companies that reduce electricity consumption. During the live, Bolsonaro also stated that he is studying the possibility of getting governors to waive the ICMS charge on the red flag charged on electricity bills.

“When we declare a red flag, it is not evil, it is because we need to pay for another source that generates the energy (thermoelectric). We are also talking to Minister Bento (Albuquerque), with governors, because when a flag is decreed, unfortunately the ICMS is levied on the flag”, he stated. 

Importance of solar energy 

In the understanding of Ronaldo Koloszuk, president of the board of ABSOLAR (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association) and commercial director of SolarGroup, solar energy could help minimize the problems faced by the country today due to the water crisis.

“Own energy generation from small rooftops has the capacity to quickly bring a large amount of energy in a dispersed form to the country. To give you an idea, in just 24 hours it is possible to install small systems”, he said. 

Koloszuk explains that the Federal Government could provide more incentives to the sector, expanding the possibilities for investment in projects or carrying out advertising campaigns that give more visibility to the source. “If the Government gives some incentive signals, there is no doubt that thousands of homes, families and small businesses would quickly adopt solar energy. Today, without any incentive, Brazil already has, for example, around 40% of the Itaipu plant running on solar energy through small roofs”, he highlighted. 

“We have the conditions and we must make solar grow even more, as it is a source of clean energy and around ten times cheaper than energy from thermoelectric plants, which today generate harmful red flags”, concluded Koloszuk

Image credit: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil