President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva participated, this Wednesday (22), in the inauguration of the Neoenergia Renewable Complex, in the municipality of Santa Luzia, in the interior of Paraíba. According to the government, this is the first associated renewable energy generation complex in Brazil that integrates wind and solar photovoltaic energy generation.
In his speech, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, reinforced the government’s intention to increase the share of clean energy in the country’s generation park. In addition, for him, the undertakings in this sector can be inducers of industrialization in the Northeast Region.
“It generates jobs and income for our Northeastern sisters and brothers, it is a symbol of the sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. A complex that knew how to unite wind generation with solar generation so abundant in our beloved Northeast, a true protagonist of Brazil in the energy transition”, said Silveira. “The sun and the wind will be the main drivers of development in the Brazilian Northeast, through the generation of clean and renewable energy”, she added.
With an investment of around BRL 3 billion, the Neoenergia project stands out for the simultaneous action between the wind and solar farms, with the use of the same substation and transmission lines. The model aims to optimize the use of the transmission network due to the complementarity of energy sources.
The development extends over an area of 8,700 hectares in the municipalities of Santa Luzia, Areia de Baraúnas, São José de Sabugi and São Mamede in Paraíba. Around 250 families in the region benefited from the leasing of land for the installation of wind turbines and photovoltaic panels. The energy generated by the complex is 0.6 gigawatts, enough to supply 1.3 million homes per year.
In a note, the Presidency of the Republic highlighted the advancement of Brazil’s capacity in the generation of clean energy. “At the end of 2006, the year before the launch of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) [de investimentos em infraestrutura], the installed capacity of wind farms was 237 megawatts. In 2014, the installed power reached 3,106 megawatts”, he informed.
