A subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola said it has energized a major transmission line installation in Brazil.
Neoenergia on January 10 said the company has completed the final section of the Alto Paranaíba Project. The group said it represents Iberdrola’s largest transmission project in Brazil, and one of that country’s biggest electricity delivery initiatives. The 1,600-kilometer (994 miles) transmission line features 3,250 towers, and has six substations along its route.
Neogenergia said the project “significantly boosts power transmission capacity between the northern region of the state of Minas Gerais and São Paulo.” São Paulo is the largest city by population in Brazil, with more than 20 million residents in its metropolitan area.
For more information about major power transmission projects, including in Brazil, read “High-Voltage Power Transmission Projects Are Booming Around the World,” part of a POWER Special Report on transmission and distribution.
The Alto Paranaíba infrastructure contract was awarded to Neogenergia in a transmission auction held by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) in 2022. Neoenergia said construction was completed more than 15 months ahead of the deadline set by ANEEL, and required an investment of about $783 million.
Brazil’s electricity generation is dominated by renewables, which account for more than 90% of its generation portfolio. Hydropower is the major power source, representing anywhere from 55% to 65% of output, depending on rainfall. The country also is building out wind and solar power.
Brazil has two operating nuclear reactors, generating about 2% of its electricity. It is expanding its natural gas-fired capacity; Wartsila recently contracted to support three new gas-fired facilities in the country.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
