The construction of the Chafariz Wind Power Complex, the first in the Sertão da Paraíba, has progressed rapidly. Until the end of the first half of 2020, Neoenergia performed 14.11% of the services, a percentage higher than expected for the period. As a result, 39.26% of civil works and 2.39% of network activities are completed.
Scheduled to start operating in 2022, the 15 wind farms will have an installed capacity to generate 471.2 MW of wind power. There are two construction sites, where services such as earthworks, paving and drainage were performed. Platforms were started for the foundations of the wind turbines and excavations and concreting were carried out. The parks are located in the region of the municipality of Santa Luzia, located on the border between Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte.
Chafariz Wind Energy Complex works. Until June 2020, 34.04% of the accesses were completed in the North Cluster, while the wind turbine foundation activities reached 31.31%. The figures for the South cluster are also positive: 43.09% of the accesses and 19.80% of the foundations of the wind turbines. During this period, 6,387 hours of training were carried out and the number of hours worked reached 726,873. The Chafariz Wind Energy Complex will have a total of 181 wind turbines, of which the 136 that will be installed are one of the most modern models on the market, the SG132, with 3.4 MW of unit power, in addition to 45 of the G114 model. of 2.1 MW of unit power.
“The construction of the Chafariz Wind Power Complex has been of great relevance for the scenario of the electricity sector in Brazil. We have kept the project operational, generating more than 1,500 direct and 300 indirect jobs. With this, Neoenergia continues to reinforce its commitment to transform the Brazilian energy matrix increasingly cleaner and more sustainable ”, informs the specialist engineer of Neoenergia and Project Manager of Chafariz, Livio Corrêa.
BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY
The works also generated benefits for the municipalities where the parks will be installed. Among them, the Environment Week and the educational bombardment with an exhibition on types of biomes. The population also benefited from the distribution of hygiene kits and the revitalization of a square in the city of Areia de Baraúnas. In addition, Neoenergia conducted professional training courses for the owner of a concrete structure and a formwork carpenter for 200 students. On the campus of the Federal Institute of Paraíba (IFPB), in Patos, a city also close to Santa Luzia, a conference on the renewable energy labor market was held, with a focus on wind energy. In addition, Neoenergia worked on the renovation of the Miquilina Municipal School, in São José do Sabugi, a municipality near Santa Luzia.
COVID-19 PREVENTION
Neoenergia has adopted measures to prevent Covid-19 during the execution of its works. Employees must always keep a distance of 1.5 meters between them and, in rooms, they must work with open doors and windows. Other actions were: screening to enter the park, hand hygiene with alcohol gel, continuous cleaning in the offices, installation of awareness banners and the use of gloves, caps and masks in the cafeteria.
INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGIES
In addition to the Chafariz Complex, the Oitis Complex is under development, with 12 wind farms to be built between Piauí and Bahía and a capacity of 566.5 MW. Together, the two complexes will add 1,037.7 MW, which will triple Neoenergia’s current wind power generation capacity. In Oitis, 96% of the energy will be sold on the free market. Currently, 17 parks are in operation in the states of Bahia, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. With the growth, the group expects that, by 2022, the total installed capacity of the wind farm plants will be 1.5 GW. The expectation is to achieve a profile of 90% of clean energy generation in the same year, including hydro and wind energy.
