How does State Grid in Brazil boost the country's green electricity matrix?
The "electricity highways" between the Xingu and the Southeast have significantly improved the allocation of clean energy and the country's capacity for economic and social development.
Leonardo Sobreira, from Beijing (247) - One of Brazil's natural gifts is the abundance of clean energy sources. The country successfully exploits this resource, being the leader in Latin America in renewable electricity and ranking among the 15 countries with the best investment opportunities in the sector.
With over 80% of its electricity generated from renewable sources, compared to a world average of only about 27%, Brazil has the Chinese company State Grid as its main external partner in exploring green electricity potential. Founded in 2010, State Grid Brazil Holding SA has already been involved in the construction of some of the country's main energy megaprojects, implementing transmission lines that cross biomes and regions while maintaining the highest capacities on the market and minimal losses – ultra-high voltage lines.
A prime example of this engineering feat is the ultra-high voltage transmission lines connecting the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant in Pará to the Southeast region, largely built and operated by SGBH. This infrastructure supplies the electricity needs of over 22 million people, spanning more than 2 kilometers with a transmission capacity of 4 MW and the most advanced technology in the Americas. In total, the company operates more than 16 kilometers of transmission lines in Brazil.
The "electricity highways" between the Xingu and Southeast regions have significantly improved the allocation of clean energy and the country's capacity for economic and social development, generating 25 direct jobs along the way. The project has also won several awards and become a model for international cooperation in electricity.
A State Grid representative in Beijing highlighted that the company is also looking at new markets in the region: “Currently, Sino-Latin American cooperation has entered a new historical period. Both sides have broad prospects for cooperation in the fields of energy and electricity in the future.”
Environment and social responsibility
One of the distinguishing features of State Grid's operations in Brazil is its environmental focus, in line with the green guidelines of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Chinese principle that "clean waters and verdant mountains are invaluable assets." In Brazil, there are more than 20 laws and regulations on environmental protection, and any infrastructure project must undergo a meticulous approval process by IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). State Grid's Belo Monte ultra-high voltage power line projects strictly adhered to environmental legislation, having held 17 public hearings between 2014 and 2017 with the participation of more than 2,300 people. During the planning phase, SGBH (State Grid's Hydroelectric Management System) even established a dedicated department for environmental impact analysis.
With the goal of protecting natural reserves along the transmission route, SGBH engineers optimized the path and modified the layout of 183 lines. They also erected towers up to 105 meters high in the Amazonian territory, well above the average of 80 meters for the stretch, thus ensuring the protection of Brazil's rich biodiversity. The team compensated for deforestation by planting approximately 2 hectares of trees, rescuing 2,274 plant species, implementing 6,200 animal protection measures, and protecting 63 archaeological sites.
According to the head of Environmental Impact Assessment at Ibama, “the Belo Monte ultra-high voltage transmission projects have actively fulfilled their environmental obligations, conducted solid environmental research, and met EIA targets. These efforts deserve our respect.”
For every challenge State Grid encounters, a different and innovative solution is implemented to benefit local communities. In Tocantins, for example, quilombola communities saw the installation of a fruit pulp factory which, with the support of entrepreneurship classes also offered by the company, provided new economic opportunities to the community. State Grid has already sponsored more than 450 social projects, such as the Maré do Amanhã Orchestra, the Cais do Valongo Archaeological Site, and the CPFL Hospital, benefiting more than 110 people.
Innovation
It is at the State Grid's ultra-high voltage systems test base in Changping, Beijing, that some of the Chinese state-owned company's key studies are conducted. The technology park covers an area of 64 acres and consists of an ultra-high voltage test line, a corona cage, an outdoor and indoor testing site, as well as environmental and climate laboratories and insulation and lightning protection laboratories. The base was designed entirely in China and built domestically, having produced 55 major technological innovations.
The advances were achieved in record time. In less than 20 years, China's technological development went from the draft stage to the level of a world leader: the proposal to develop ultra-high voltage lines came in 2004, the first project in China was completed in 2009, and by 2022, there were already 30.
The distribution of energy resources in China explains the need for rapid development of ultra-high voltage power lines. More than 80% of the sources are distributed in western and northern China, while more than 70% of electricity is consumed in the east and center. Today, the State Grid provides electricity to 26 Chinese provinces, covering 88% of the territory and serving more than 1,1 billion people.
For the present and future, the young state-owned company is betting on the green image of its projects, both domestically and internationally. It is with this impetus that the company intends to scale its activities in Brazil. "Brazil has great potential in this sector," highlighted a State Grid representative in Beijing, pointing to studies on connecting the wind power capacity of Northeast Brazil, which includes centers like Gameleira, to the rest of the country.
"We support Brazil's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050," he added.
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