Low rainfall could lead to energy crisis in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The shortage of rainfall recorded in recent months has been worrying experts about the potential for an energy crisis in Brazil.

“It is very worrying not only for energy generation, but also for the impacts on agriculture and water availability in large cities,” says Pedro Artaxo, PhD in physics from the University of São Paulo (USP).

Between September 2020 and March this year, the National Interconnected System (SIN) registered the lowest rainfall volume in reservoirs in 91 years. In São Paulo, the month of March closed with a cumulative total of 139 millimeters of water, 35% below the historical average.

“Because of this drought we had a lower reservoir recharge, both for urban supply and for hydroelectric plants in the South region, which also affected part of the state of São Paulo,” says Pedro Cortês, professor at the USP Energy Institute.

The scenario has led the National Electric System Operator (ONS) to import energy from neighboring countries such as Uruguay and Argentina.

Source: CNN Brasil

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