Brazil’s Cemig contracts 152 MW of wind, solar capacity in second auction

Brazil-based power company, Compañía Energética de Minas Gerais S.A. (Cemig) – the fourth largest energy company in the country – has announced the results of its second auction for large-scale wind and solar power projects, launched in early August.

In a press release, the company said it has contracted a combined 152.5 MW of wind and solar power through the auction, and that this capacity will be provided through wind and solar projects totaling 388 MW. No more details on the projects, or the distribution of the allocated capacity between the two technologies were provided.

Selected projects, Cemig also said, will have to start operations in January 2022 and to sell electricity under a 20-year PPA, which means under the same conditions as those selected in its first auction of the same kind held in June, in which 431 MW of solar and wind capacity was contracted.

The two auctions are set to help Cemig replace part of the power generation capacity it recently lost, with the loss of concessions of four Brazilian hydropower plants – in São Simão (1.7 GW), Miranda (404 MW), Jaguara (424 MW) and Volta Grande (380 MW). These concessions were given to big international energy companies, such as Engie, Enel and China’s State Power Investment Corporation.

Cemig currently covers more that 90% of the power demand of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where it is headquartered. It also provides power to another 22 Brazilian states, and regions of Chile. It owns and operates 70 plants comprising hydro, thermal and wind power across the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Santa Catarina.