Record Brazilian sugarcane bioelectricity generation in May

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The volume of bioelectricity generated in Brazil in May this year was the highest in the last five years for the period, according to data from the Chamber for the Commercialization of Electricity (CCEE).

Biomass thermoelectric plants, which use sugarcane bagasse as the main raw material, produced 4,255 average MW, an amount that also represented 33% of the energy supply produced by all thermoelectric plants in the month.

On June 22, the Ministry of Mines and Energy published Decree 527, opening for public consultation guidelines for additional supply of electricity generation from biomass thermal power plants.

The additional supply will be used by the National System Operator (ONS) to meet the demand of the National Interconnected System (SIN), provided the operation is approved by the Monitoring Committee of the Electric Sector (CMSE), of which the Trading Chamber is also part.

The decree restricted the bidding process to agents in compliance with sectorial obligations, including with the CCEE. The generation, which will be considered a guarantee of energy supply, may occur monthly, up to the limit of six months.

“We are advancing in discussing issues that aim for more reliability and efficiency for the electric sector. The bioelectricity segment has the potential to grow further in Brazil, first for its relevance in terms of sustainability, and second for its ability to contribute to the supply of electricity in more challenging hydrological scenarios,” says Rui Altieri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CCEE.

From 2016 to 2020, the number of biomass plants increased from 264 to 297, increasing the installed capacity from 12,499 MW to 13,419 MW. In this period, the annual average megawatt generation increased from 2,718 to 3,127, a 15% growth.