O CMSE (Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee) decided that, in the next few days, the thermoelectric plants in regions affected by drought na Northern Region the country.
The proposal, approved by the board during a meeting this Wednesday (04), was presented by the ONS (National Electric System Operator) and intends to guarantee safety in electricity supply in the states of Acre and Rondônia.
Among the recommendations made by the ONS is that the competent bodies declare the exceptional and temporary situation of water scarcity for the basin, considering that the meteorological forecast scenarios do not indicate an improvement in this scenario in the coming days. “With this, it will be possible to implement urgent effective measures that continue to guarantee the energy supply in the region”, they highlighted.
In parallel, with the aim of adopting preventive solutions, the Operator indicated the resumption of availability of the Termonorte I and II thermal plants, installed in Porto Velho (RO), to complement service at times of greatest energy demand in the Acre and Rondônia regions.
It was also decided to carry out a study, under the coordination of SNTEP (National Secretariat for Energy Transition and Planning), which will have the of ONS and EPE (Energy Research Company), on climate resilience of the electrical system in the states of Acre, Rondônia and Amapá.
The purpose of this initiative, according to the Operator, is to expand the capacity to maintain electrical energy service in future scenarios of water scarcity and extraordinary floods in the Madeira River basin.
During the CMSE meeting, the third review of the Roraima Electric System Generating Park Replacement Plan was also approved, accelerating the process of entry into operation of the plants that won Auction No. 01/2019-ANEEL and the integration of Boa Vista into the National Interconnected System (SIN).
The 283rd ordinary meeting was chaired by Efrain Cruz, executive secretary of the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy). During the meeting, minister Alexandre Silveira was part of the delegation that was in the North region, alongside Geraldo Alckmin, vice-president of the Republic, and representatives from other ministries.
Historic drought
The exceptional decisions are consequences of the severe drought in basins in the Amazon region, and the drought is more serious in the states of Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Amazonas and Amapá.
In recent weeks, for example, Civil Defense reported that the Madeira River recorded a level of 1,43 meters. After that, a meeting was held in the “Crisis Room”, between of bodies that monitor river basins in the Amazon.
Currently, Porto Velho is in a state of alert. If the river drops to 1,22 meters, the city will enter a state of emergency. Since August, the level has dropped rapidly. In less than a week, between the end of August and the beginning of September, the level of Madeira fell by more than one meter. At the time, Civil Defense was already predicting a historic drought.
