EN 
PT_BR 
Shell and Gerdau signed a new agreement to form a joint venture, with equal participation of both companies in the business, for the development, construction and operation of a new solar park in the State of Minas Gerais, to be built in 2023.
Last year, the two companies had already signed a cooperation agreement for the development of a 190 MW photovoltaic plant in the municipality of Brasilândia de Minas (MG).
According to Shell, the company has been increasing its investments in renewable energy around the world, and also in Brazil, and finds in Gerdau a partner fully aligned with the search for a cleaner energy matrix.
The company also informed that the agreement, which still depends on the approval of precedent conditions, including approval by the Brazilian regulatory and competition authorities, establishes the premises for the joint venture's activity in the generation and long-term contracting for the acquisition of energy clean.
The park, which should have an installed capacity of approximately 260 MWp, will supply 50% of the volume produced to Gerdau's steel production units in Brazil, in the self-production modality, and the other half will be traded on the free market through Shell Energy Brasil, Shell's energy trader.
The partnership could enable the development of approximately 1/3 of the solar park's total capacity. Shell will continue to seek other long-term customers – such as self-producers, for example – to address the remaining volume of the complex.
The initiative with Gerdau is aligned with the Shell Group's global strategy of offering clean energy solutions to customers and advancing decarbonization, representing another important investment in the energy transition journey.
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In 2021, the Shell Group publicly committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, with the complementary target of reducing absolute emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2016.
For Gerdau, the initiative is also aligned with the company's commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from scopes 1 and 2 of its inventory, to 0.83 t of CO₂e per ton of steel, a value 50% lower than the global average for steel industry.
Today, the company has one of the lowest average greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂e), at 0.93 t of CO₂e per ton of steel, when compared to the sector's global average of 1.89 t of CO₂e per ton. of steel, according to 2020 data released by the World Steel Association (worldsteel).
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“We are taking another important step in building a robust renewable energy portfolio in Brazil, reinforcing the diversification of our businesses, always in line with our purpose of providing more energy in an increasingly cleaner way. We are very happy with this strategic partnership and proud to be recognized by Shell as an important player in the development of clean energy solutions, in a reliable and competitive way”, celebrates the director of Renewables and Energy Solutions at Shell Brazil, Guilherme Perdigão.
“This second solar park in partnership with Shell reinforces Gerdau's commitment to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years in Brazil and around the world, building a more sustainable future for everyone. Our investments in renewable energy are part of a broader business diversification plan complementary to steel. We are also evaluating opportunities in wind energy in the Americas”, says Juliano Prado, vice-president of Gerdau.
