São Paulo – Electric energy transmission projects in Brazil should receive at least 8.5 billion Brazilian reals (US$ 5.1 billion) in investment over the next five years, according to the Energy Research Company (Epe in the Portuguese acronym). Targets include new lines and transmission substations, and the funds will be allocated under the Transmission Expansion Program.
The funds should go to 25 new substations and 5,454 kilometres of transmission lines. The North of Brazil should receive the majority of investment, totalling 2.8 billion reals (US$ 1.6 billion), followed by the Northeast, which should get 2.4 billion reals (US$ 1.4 billion), the South, with 2 billion reals (US$ 1.2 billion), and the Southeast/Midwest, with 1.3 billion reals (US$ 783 million). The projects will be tendered in 2011.
In the Northeast, investment will take place in the states of Pernambuco, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. The projects will aim to ensure the supply of power and transmit the power generated by wind farms in Rio Grande do Norte. In 2013, a 500 kV transmission system with should start operating across three states.
In the South, a set of three transmission lines and two new substations should start operating by 2014, with investment of 573 million reals (US$ 345 million). The goal is to eliminate overloads in the current system and increase safety in the supply. The Epe also informs that investment may exceed the forecast, because works under study have not been included.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
