The bulk of the Pirapora solar photovoltaic project (with close to 400 MWp in total capacity) and the 66 MW Ventos da Bahia wind farm were recently commissioned and connected up to the Brazilian grid via its EDF EN do Brasil local subsidiaries.
The 350 MW in installed capacity so far contribute to the EDF Group’s Cap 2030 strategy, which aims to double its renewable energy capacity by 2030 both in France and worldwide.
Pirapora, Latin America’s most powerful solar plant
Located in the State of Minas Gerais, two of the three phases of the Pirapora solar photovoltaic project with combined capacity of 284 MWp are now in operation.
Overall, the electricity generated at Latin America’s most powerful solar plant with close to 400 MWp in capacity will cover the annual energy needs of 420,000 Brazilian homes.
The project benefits from 20-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with the CCEE (Power Commercialisation Chamber), which were awarded in 2014 and 2015 following Reserve Energy Auctions.
EDF Energies Nouvelles holds an 80% stake in the Pirapora project, with the remaining 20% held by Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI), one of the world leaders in solar energy, which is manufacturing locally the facility’s 1,235,070 solar panels.
The modules are installed on horizontal-axis trackers to maximise the facility’s yield.
The Pirapora project is due to be fully commissioned in the second half of 2018.
The EDF Group’s first wind farm in the Brazilian market
The Ventos da Bahia wind farm located in the state with the same name has now been commissioned.
The 66 MW facility is the first tranche of the complex of wind energy projects with 800 MW in potential capacity.
The wind farm’s 22 wind turbines generate the equivalent of the annual power consumption of 160,000 Brazilian homes.
The electricity generated is sold under a 20-year PPA with ANEEL.
EDF EN do Brasil won a second 20-year PPA for 117 MW in wind energy capacity in a competitive tender held by the Brazilian government in 2015. It is due to be commissioned late in 2018.
Brazil, the world’s eighth-largest energy consumer, is Latin America’s largest market in terms of the development of renewable energies. Clean energy accounts for close to 75% of the power generated in Brazil.
Existing capacity has to be doubled under the ten-year energy plan drawn up by the Brazilian energy minister and revised in 2015. By 2024, 73 GW consisting of predominantly renewable energy capacity is due to be built.
Antoine Cahuzac, EDF’s Group Senior Executive Vice President, Renewable Energies and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EDF Energies Nouvelles, commented: “The success of our first renewable energy projects in Brazil represents a major milestone for us. It supports the EDF Group’s major development goals in Brazil, where the government’s aim is to generate 23% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030, and our solar, wind and hydro projects currently under construction will make a valuable contribution.”
EDF Energies Nouvelles is a market leader in renewable energy electricity, with a portfolio of more than 10 GW gross installed capacity focused for the most part on wind (onshore and offshore) and solar photovoltaic energy. Mostly operating in Europe and North America, EDF Energies Nouvelles continues its development by taking strong positions in promising emerging areas such as Brazil, China, India, or South Africa, and North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council regions. The Company is also present in other segments of the renewable energy market: marine energy, distributed energies and energy storage. EDF Energies Nouvelles manages renewable energy projects’ development and construction as well as operation and maintenance for its own account and for third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is a subsidiary of the EDF Group dedicated to renewable energy.
