EDF Renewables starts operating the wind power plant that will supply Braskem’s demand.
Rio de Janeiro, May 5th, 2021 – The Folha Larga Norte Wind Complex, located in Campo Formoso (BA), is the third EDF Renewables project to start operating in Brazil. With an investment of more than R$ 1.5 billion, Folha Larga Norte has 2 phases that total 82 wind turbines and 344 MW of installed capacity, equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately 850 thousand Brazilian homes.
The construction of the wind power plant involved the implementation of a plan for hiring and training local labor so that residents in the project’s area of direct influence were able to take advantage of the opportunities. The high point of hiring at the service of the enterprise reached more than 800 people, 67% of which were local labor. Throughout the project, various social and environmental actions were also carried out, such as the production of a nursery with more than 15 thousand growing seedlings of 20 typical species of the caatinga such as Licurizeiro, Umbuzeiro, Braúna, Angico and Aroeira, which represent the typical vegetation of the caatinga, 100% Brazilian biome.
Folha Larga Norte was made possible by contracting energy sales in government auctions ACR A-4/2018 and ACR A-6/2018, and in the free market by entering into a commitment to Braskem as an anchor consumer, in addition to other agents. Under the agreement, the largest petrochemical company in the Americas has committed to purchase energy from the EDF Renewables project for 20 years in a renewable energy purchase agreement (Renewable PPA).
“The contracting of renewable energy in the free market allows companies to make a decisive contribution to the energy transition, in addition to promoting important impacts for business and social improvements in the surroundings of the projects. The energy purchase and sale agreement with Braskem demonstrates our competitiveness and positions us as an important player in renewable energy in Brazil”, says Paulo Abranches, CEO of EDF Renewables in Brazil
“We aim to be among the best chemical industries in the world in terms of energy intensity and consumption, strengthening us as an important user of energy from a renewable source. We recently made a commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050 and the use of renewable energy matrices in our operation is an essential part of this process. The partnership with EDF Renewables is a milestone in this journey, through which we estimate a reduction of 280 thousand tons of CO2 over the 20-year contract”, says Gustavo Checcucci, Energy Director at Braskem.
“The partnership with EDF Renewables meets important assumptions for the company’s sustainable operations. In addition to contributing more effectively to the feasibility of new sources of renewable energy in the energy matrix of Brazil and Braskem, contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions, it strengthens the socioeconomic development of the interior of Bahia, starting from the construction of the plant”, he explains. Checkcucci.
With Folha Larga Norte, EDF Renewables has 527 MW of wind projects in operation. In the Northeast, the company also has the expansion of the Ventos da Bahia Wind power plant (182 MW), located more than 300 km from Salvador (BA), and the Serra do Seridó Wind power plant (242 MW) in Junco do Seridó (PA). ), both under construction. Brazil represents a strategic place for EDF Renewables. Established in the country for six years, the company reached 1.3 GW of wind and solar energy projects, in operation and under construction, in Bahia, Minas Gerais and Paraíba.
About EDF Renewables:
EDF Renewables is a leading international renewable energy company, with a gross installed capacity of 13.8 GW worldwide. Its development is mainly focused on wind and solar photovoltaic energy. EDF Renewables primarily operates in Europe and North America, but continues to grow as it moves to promising emerging regions such as Brazil, China, India, South Africa and the Middle East. The company has strong positions in offshore wind energy, but also in other areas of the renewable energy industry,
such as distributed energy and energy storage. EDF Renewables develops, builds, operates and maintains renewable energy projects, both for itself and for third parties. Most of its international subsidiaries are branded EDF Renewables. EDF Renewables is the subsidiary of the EDF Group specializing in the development of solar and wind energy. In Brazil since 2015, EDF Renewables Brasil is among the country’s leaders in the renewable energy sector, totaling 1.3 GW in projects, installed and under construction, of solar and wind energy in Bahia, Minas Gerais and Paraíba.
About Braskem
With a global vision of the future, guided towards people and sustainability, Braskem is committed to contributing to the value chain to strengthen the Circular Economy. The 8,000 Members of the petrochemical company dedicate themselves daily to improving people’s lives through sustainable chemical and plastic solutions. Braskem has an innovative DNA and a complete portfolio of plastic resins and chemical products for various segments, such as food packaging, civil construction, industrial, automotive, agribusiness, health and hygiene, among others. With 40 industrial units in Brazil, USA, Mexico and Germany and net revenue of R$ 52.3 billion (US$ 13.2 billion), the company exports its products to Customers in more than 100 countries.