Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed this Friday a decree that guarantees the purchase of energy from Venezuela, thus resuming a supply interrupted in 2019 by former President Jair Bolsonaro
"The decree will allow the execution of contracts to bring clean and renewable energy from Venezuela, from the Guri plant, which once again plays an important role in guaranteeing cheap and sustainable energy for Roraima and for Brazil," said the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira.
The decree was signed in a ceremony in the Amazonian city of Parintins, and will allow the installation of a new transmission line that will integrate the state of Roraima to the National Interconnected System, in an investment of 2.6 billion reais.
The decision is part of the relaunching of the Light for All Program, initially launched by Lula in 2003. On this occasion, the objective is to benefit up to 500,000 families by 2026, with priority for the states of the Northern region and remote regions of the Legal Amazon.
The Guri hydroelectric power plant, in the state of Bolivar, supplies mainly the Amazonian state of Roraima, the only one outside the Brazilian electricity system. At present, Roraima is supplied entirely by thermoelectric power plants fueled by diesel and natural gas, which raises the cost of energy
According to Silveira, the decree also allows for greater connection with all neighboring countries. Currently, Brazil exchanges electricity with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay through the Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Power Plant.
It also provides for the possibility of importing energy to supply isolated systems. The objective is to reduce the expenses of the Fuel Consumption Account, budgeted at R$ 12 billion for 2023 and paid by all electricity consumers in the country.
The transmission line to Brazil from the El Guri power plant, with 10,200 megawatts of installed capacity, was inaugurated in 2001 by Presidents Hugo Chávez and Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Not a great situation but cutting ties hasn't helped either. Perhaps with some commercial incentive there can be some change. Or maybe not. Still though, the Venezuelan government won't starve without this money and at least hundreds of thousands can benefit from a utility we all take for granted.