O BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) announced, this Wednesday (29), the financing of US$447,8 million, equivalent to R$2,18 billion, for the implementation of the Vista Alegre solar energy complex, in the municipality of Janaúba (MG).
Included in the Federal Government's New PAC, the venture will have installed capacity of 902 MWp and will avoid the emission of 2,4 million tons of CO2 during the plant's 20 years of operation, which corresponds to 17 million trees planted.
The complex has 18 photovoltaic plants, associated transmission system and sufficient generation to ensure energy supply for more than three million people.
According to BNDES, this is the largest financing in dollars for renewable generation ever carried out by the bank, which uses resources from foreign currency funding on the international market in this operation, converted into reais when contracting .
Luciana Costa, director of Infrastructure, Energy Transition and Climate Change at BNDES, explains that the project will contribute to the development of the northern region of Minas Gerais. “It will be the largest solar project built in a single phase in the country, that is, with implementation of the entire project, at once”, he commented.
According to BNDES, the financial institution's participation in the complex is around 68% of the total investment, which is R$3,2 billion. The forecast is that they will be generated 2,5 jobs during the project's implementation phase and 20 jobs after its completion.
The bank's for initiative was structured as project finance, a model in which the guarantees are the assets themselves and the enterprise’s cash flow. The complex's production will be sold in Free Energy Market with Albras.
O complex is managed by Vista Alegre Comercializadora de Energia, a company controlled by Atlas Renewable Energy, which develops, builds and operates renewable energy projects in Latin America. Albras is a partner in Vista Alegre, with 5,7% of its capital.
“This is another big step for Atlas and a milestone in building the largest solar PPA in Latin America. Dollar PPAs have been gaining traction in Brazil as a great solution for providing clean energy to companies, providing currency hedging for large exporters, and helping customers meet their sustainability goals through access to renewable energy. Once again, BNDES places its trust in Atlas, which allows us to guarantee the viability of this project to boost the use of solar energy in the country”, comments Fábio Bortoluzo, director of Atlas in Brazil.
