RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Despite the water crisis Brazil is experiencing this year – the worst rainfall level in 91 years – there is no indication of insufficient resources to meet the country’s energy demand in 2021.
The information was provided by the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s (MME) Secretary of Electric Energy Christiano Vieira da Silva.
Silva said that the Southeast region, responsible for 70% of Brazil’s storage capacity, is at only 26% capacity. He added that the Paraná River and its tributaries, like the Tietê and the Paranaíba, are the most affected basins.
As a result, the secretary explained that the National System Organizer (ONS) has been recommending the complementation of energy by using thermoelectric plants since October 2020. “And we have been supplying thermoelectric energy since then,” he said.
In addition to this measure, the government has also been adopting other options, such as importing energy from neighboring countries, easing supply from plants with no contracts, and surplus generation from biomass plants.
According to Silva, the goal is to reach November – the end of the dry season – in appropriate conditions. Until then, thermoelectric plants should continue to be used.
The Energy Secretary mentioned some measures Brazilians can adopt to help save energy, such as turning off the lights in rooms that are not being used, closing the door of the room where an air-conditioner or heater is being used, and avoiding opening the refrigerator unnecessarily.
“These are small gestures inside the home that consumers can adopt and that will in no way interfere with their routine,” he says.