Brazilian state-controlled utility Copel has contracted 444MW of new wind and solar through a tender to supply an increasing demand for renewable power in the country.
The company, which is controlled by the state government of Paraná in southern Brazil, held a non-regulated tender to contract the new capacity via 15 year PPAs.
The company didn’t detail the projects contracted, which will have to start operations in January 2023.
Copel said that 36% of the power from the new capacity contracted has already been sold to its customers with contracts ranging from 10 to 15 years.
Copel is among a myriad of Brazilian companies that are increasingly trading renewable power in the non-regulated market.
Earlier in September, Cemig contracted 476MW of solar and wind in a similar tender that was heavily oversubscribed.
Spanish power group Iberdrola and Enel are building wind complexes topping 500MW in capacity to sell mostly to the non-regulated market, while local developer Casa dos Ventos held a tender last year to sell power to corporate off-takers and signed a contract to sell power from a 151MW wind complex to mining group Vale.
Copel, which has 4.6GW of installed capacity, is possibly seeking to replace 1.6GW of hydro dams that are close to the end of their 30-year concessions.
The company is currently finalising the construction of 490MW in two wind power complexes in northeastern Brazil and has a 49% stake in a 108MW wind farm controlled by France’s Voltalia. These projects were contracted between 2011 and 2015, and since then Copel has not won any contracts in tenders.
