News Article
Sowitec Makes Progress in Brazil
Sowitec has been awarded 20 year energy supply contracts for wind and solar PV projects worth 102MW within the latest energy auctions, held in December in Brazil.
In the Pernambuco Photovoltaic Auction, held on December, 27th, Sowitec won the single largest project, São Francisco, at 30MW. The plant will be located in the municipality of Santa Maria da Boa Vista in the state of Pernambuco, about 600 km to the west of the capital Recife. Once operational, the solar project will be able to generate up to 50 GWh per year, thereby avoiding the emission of more than 14 thousand tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
In Brazil´s first solar-only energy auction only six projects were awarded with a total capacity of 123MW at an average price of 229 R$ per MWh. All projects are to come online between July 1st 2015 and December 2016.
Brazil´s step into solar energy is an important milestone for the further diversification of Brazil´s renewable energy matrix. Pernambuco Government has announced the intention of a second solar auction which analysts expect in 2014.
Through the national A-5 New Energy auction, carried out on December 13th, Sowitec has been awarded the right to enter into 20-year energy supply contracts with the Brazilian Chamber of Commercialization of Electric Energy (CCEE) with power produced by the three wind projects with a combined capacity of 72MW.
The projects Ventos da Bahia II, Ventos da Bahia IV and Ventos da Bahia VIII are located in the municipality of Mulungu do Morro, in the state of Bahia, in north-eastern Brazil. Once completed, the projects will be able to generate more than 300 GWh per year, a sustainable contribution to the rising energy demand of the country. The three wind projects have an average capacity factor of more than 50%, equivalent to approximately 4.700 hours of energy production per year.
The wind turbines are expected to start operation latest by January, 1st, 2018, they are part of an 800MW wind farm cluster, which Sowitec is developing in the region.
