Brazil: Panasonic invests US$340 million in solar energy production in Ceará State

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The technology and electronics company Panasonic announced the goal of having more than 60% of the total energy consumed by the company in Brazil from a solar source, coming from the self-production model, by 2024.

The energy will come from the Intrepid Solar Complex, located in the municipality of Mauriti, in Ceará State, with the capacity to produce 500MWp and will account for approximately 65% of the consumption at Panasonic’s factory located in Extrema, Minas Gerais.

For the solar plant’s construction, management, and operation, the investment will be R$1.6 billion (US$340 million) by Pontoon Clean Tech, a company responsible for the supply of photovoltaic solar energy with which Panasonic has signed a 15-year contract to carry out this project.

“This is an agreement via the consortium, with a 15-year contract with Pontoon Clean Tech, which is responsible for all investment, management, and operation of the solar plant while Panasonic is responsible for contracting and paying for the energy used,” says Sergei Epof, vice president of home appliances at Panasonic Brazil.

The initiative is part of the company’s global ESG agenda, which is developing several actions to fulfill the Environmental Vision 2050. All Panasonic units already have a system to verify compliance with the environmental legislation in effect.

In Brazil, the company offsets 100% of all CO2 emissions. The Extrema plant, responsible for producing the company’s refrigerators and washing machines, was the first in Latin America to receive the Zero CO2 Emission seal granted by the Japanese headquarters. In addition, Panasonic is already working on the sustainability pillar in its products, always aligning new technologies in the projects in favor of the environment.

According to Epof, the investment in clean and renewable energy aligns with the Environmental Vision 2050 strategy. “In May 2021, we announced a global goal of making our total CO2 emissions net-zero by 2030. In Brazil, this is already a reality in our units even before the deadline, through the offsetting purchase of carbon credits. Our efforts will be to have the energy created by Panasonic’s products and services exceed that used in our manufacturing processes by 2050 or even earlier. By achieving more than 60% self-production of energy, we also stand out among other facilities in the world.”

The Intrepid Solar Complex project will cover 1,100 hectares, and 935,000 solar panels will be installed, avoiding the emission of 400,000 tons of CO2 per year. Construction is scheduled to start in 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023, generating more than 4,000 direct and indirect jobs for the local community.

“We entered the market this year, where we offer the possibility to build the complete decarbonization journey for companies. Therefore, having Panasonic as an ally in this booming sector means a big step for Pontoon,” says Marcos Severine, CEO of Pontoon.

In this way, Panasonic wants to lead the front in energy self-production via photovoltaic solar arrays compared to other companies in the same market segment. “Panasonic already uses 100% of energy from renewable sources from the free energy market and neutralizes 100% of CO2.”

As of 2024, half of the total energy consumed by the company in Brazil will come from clean, solar energy produced by Pontoon within this self-production model. It is a pilot project, and the idea is to gradually increase investments in self-production from 2024. It is expected that in the next 15 years, the self-production produced by Pontoon will reach 100%,” says Epof.

With information from Exame