Largest photovoltaic energy project in Brazil approved

Minas Gerais states´ Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD) approved licensing of 1,357 MW solar photovoltaic project in the city of Jaiba in the north of the state. The estimated investment of the plant is BRL 6 billion (USD 1 billion).

The project is being developed by the local company Aurora Energia based in Minas Gerais state. The construction of the plant is planned to start in the second half of 2020 and completion is planned by 2023.

The project capacity will be divided between 34 blocks with 40 MW each, which later, strategically, are divided into 340 4 MW modules, becoming the largest solar photovoltaic solar power project in Latin America, which is the equivalent to 2,000 soccer fields. The PV plant will feature 2,3 million photovoltaic panels. The plant will reduce 90 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the environment when compared to the thermal plant (coal).

Currently, Minas Gerais is the fourth-largest generator in the country, behind Piauí, Ceará and Bahia, with a power of 755 megawatts installed and under construction, according to the Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Association. With the investment in Jaíba, the forecast is that the state will take the lead in Brazil.

The advances in the project were achieved based on public policies to promote solar energy adopted by the Government of Minas Gerais. The State has been reducing bureaucracy and streamlining the entire process of environmental licensing and project approval. The licensing and approval of the project was concluded in record time by the SEMAD.