Service providers are responsible for technical assistance in the mapping of existing low emission initiatives in the targeted sectors to identify technology needs and gaps. This will include not only Brazilian initiatives, but also existing EU Member State actions on low emissions in Brazil. The mapping will also identify potential, suitable financing institutions and instruments to fund the implementation of bankable projects.
Also under this initiative, Catch, in partnership with GND Brasil, a São Paulo-based sustainability consultancy for the agro-industrial sector, will receive €150,000 in technical assistance grants for six off-grid solar PV plus battery storage central pivot irrigation and non-GM crop rotation projects in rice plantations in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo and Mato Grosso.
Other key participants in the project include EMBRAPA, Brazil’s state-owned agricultural research company, and Krebs, which has 20% of the pivot irrigation market in Brazil, and it is expected that these “showrooms” will scale up to an additional 60 such projects in Brazil within 12 months of breaking ground. Other projects are in development with rice planters in Uruguay.
Announcing the award, Catch CEO David Collett commented, “This is a highly satisfactory culmination to a project that began at the Low Carbon Brazil business matchmaking mission in Fortaleza last October. We are particularly impressed with the dedication and professionalism of all companies and individuals concerned.”
