Brazilian president appoints economist to head Itaipu binational hydroelectric power plant

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appointed economist Enio Verri as general director of Itaipu’s Brazilian-Paraguayan hydroelectric power plant.

According to a statement published today, Saturday, by Itaipu Binacional, headquartered in Foz do Iguaçu, in the Brazilian state of Paraná (south), on the border with Paraguay, Verri’s appointment was made using a decree published in an extra session of the Official Gazette of the Union.

Verri replaces Admiral Anatalicio Risden Junior, who was in charge of the Brazilian general management of Itaipu since February 2022, appointed by the then president Jair Bolsonaro.

The new director will have a five-year term, which the Ministry of Mines and Energy can revoke before his time.

Itaipu Binacional informed that Verri is an economist with a master’s degree in Economics from the State University of Maringá (Paraná) and holds a Ph.D. in Latin American integration from the University of São Paulo (USP).

He was also a deputy for the Workers’ Party, chairman of the congressional budget committee, and chief advisor to the Ministry of Planning.

The bi-national company began to be built 50 years ago by the determination of the governments of Paraguay and Brazil with financing from the Banco Nacional de Desarollo Económico y Social, the leading Brazilian public development entity.

On February 28, Itaipu Binacional paid the last installment of the debt for constructing the hydroelectric plant, one of the world leaders in renewable energy production.

The hydroelectric power plant began operation in 1984, satisfying 90 percent of Paraguay’s consumption and 13 percent of Brazil’s.

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