On Monday (13) night, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that mandates the contracting of reserve energy from the Jorge Lacerda thermoelectric complex, powered by coal, giving breath to a more polluting source at a time when the world is seeking electric generation with less emissions.
The determination is contained in an amendment to bill 712/19, coming from the Senate, which provides for a subsidy to small energy distributors, with a market of less than 350 gigawatts-hour (GWh) per year.
As the deputies made changes to the text, the matter will return to the Senate’s analysis, according to the news agency Câmara de NotÃcias.
Located in Capivari de Baixo (SC), the Jorge Lacerda thermoelectric power plant has 857 MW of installed capacity and is powered by domestic coal, extracted in Santa Catarina and subsidized by the CDE (Energy Development Account), a sector fund funded by charges charged in the electricity bill.
According to the text of the PL, Jorge Lacerda’s authorization for operation, which was valid until 2028, will be extended for 15 years as of January 1, 2025.
To make this extension feasible, the Ministry of Mines and Energy must sign a contract for the purchase of reserve energy from coal-fired plants in sufficient quantity to consume the volume of fuel purchase stipulated in the contracts in force on the date of publication of the future law.
After signing the reserve energy contract, the thermoelectric complex will no longer be entitled to reimbursements from the CDE for the purchase of mineral coal.
The Jorge Lacerda complex was operated by Engie Brasil and was sold in August this year to Diamante Holding Participações, a subsidiary of the Fram Capital Energy II investment fund.
Engie’s divestment of the asset was part of its global commitment to decarbonise its generation portfolio.
The bill also provides for the creation of the “Fair Energy Transition” program, with the objective of preparing the Santa Catarina coal industry for a probable closure, by 2040, of the coal-fired thermoelectric generation activity, with the consequent end of ore exploration in the region. .
The TEJ will also take into account the goals assumed by Brazil to achieve carbon neutrality, says the text.
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