Comerc commissions 662 MW of solar in Brazil

Comerc has commissioned 662 MW of solar capacity in Várzea da Palma, Brazil. The facility will provide power to silicon metal producer Liasa via a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA).

Image: MME

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From pv magazine Brazil

Brazilian energy supplier Comerc Energia has inaugurated the 662 MW Hélio Valgas Solar Complex, which is located in Várzea da Palma, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. According to the country's Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the facility is the fifth-largest PV plant in Brazil.

The construction required an investment of BRL 2 billion ($405.2 million). The complex will sell “almost all” of the electricity it will produce to Liasa, a state-owned manufacturer of silicon metal, under a long-term PPA.

The Hélio Valgas plant is installed on an area of 1,154 hectares – the equivalent of 1,650 football fields. At present, Brazil's largest solar plant is the Janaúba Solar Complex, with 1.2 GW of capacity. In the state of Piauí, Italian utility Enel operates the São Gonçalo complex, with 864 MW of installed capacity. In July, mining giant Vale inaugurated a 766 MW complex in Minas Gerais, which will supply 16% of its energy.

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All in all, the country has 10 GW of installed large-scale PV capacity and another 131 GW of projects authorized by the Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Aneel) as of July 2023.

The states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Piauí are the leaders in installed capacity, with 3.1 GW, 2 GW, and 1.4 GW, respectively. They also lead in authorized projects, with 41.7 GW, 23.8 GW, and 17.1 GW of planned pipeline installations, respectively.

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