Brazil’s electricity sector sets historical records and achievements in 2021

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The year 2021 was marked by achievements and progress in the Brazilian electrical sector, with emphasis on the generation and transmission of electrical energy. A historical record was set in the increase of free market power plants, with more than 3 GW installed, with 75% of the installed plants being wind and photovoltaic.

In January 2022 alone, data from the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) confirm that the generation of electric energy increased by 482 MW, enough to supply approximately 1 million inhabitants. The 2021 increase in power generation reached 7,562 MW, in addition to the 200 plants that went into operation, adding power generation capacity capable of supplying up to 17 million households.

Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque highlighted the robustness of the sector, pointing out the good prospects for 2022, with the largest increase in installed capacity in the past 5 years and the expected addition of over 7,760 MW to the Brazilian electrical system. A scenario that has the government optimistic about the security of the electrical sector this year.

TRANSMISSION

The total number of kilometers of lines added to the National Interconnected System (SIN) in 2021 is longer than the distance between Rio de Janeiro and Portugal. Some 7,822 km of transmission lines and 18,064.5 MVA of transformer capacity were completed.

These expansions left the SIN operating with a total of 169,914.1 km of transmission lines and 410,881.9 MVA of transformation capacity in December. The number of transmission lines completed in 2021 was 19% higher than the average (6,566.9 km) of the past 5 years.

For 2022, the forecast is for growth, with 8,987 km of transmission lines expected to start operating, 15% more than the previous year, and 31,154 MVA of transformation capacity, up 72% from last year.

DISTRIBUTED GENERATION

Through the end of 2018, the installed power of Distributed Generation (DG) was 680 MW, and only 88,000 consumer units were benefited. Currently, more than 1 million consumer units are benefited by DG, which prioritizes clean sources – wind, solar, and biomass – renewable and non-polluting. Currently, 98% of the DG in Brazil is solar.

RENEWABLE ELECTRIC MATRIX

The Brazilian electric matrix currently has 84% of renewable energy generation capacity, while the world averages only 27%. The share of solar energy in the Brazilian electricity matrix has increased from 1.4% in 2019 to 6.9% in 2021. A generation capacity of about 13 GW, larger than the Belo Monte plant. Wind power also registered growth, reaching a 10.9% share in the Brazilian electricity matrix in December 2021.

The positive prospects for the Brazilian electric sector extend beyond 2022. According to the MME, in 2023, battery banks with a capacity of 30 MW are expected to be installed in the Registro Substation, São Paulo state, which operates in 138 Kv, contributing to the electrical system’s safety and stability.

The highlight is the expected 37% increase (6400 MW -> 8800 MW), a value higher than the energy generated by the Angra I and II plants, of the generation outflow in the Northeast wind power plants, contributing to the mitigation of scenarios such as the one caused by the water shortage the country is experiencing.