Ventos da Bahia Wind Farm inaugurates a Flour House in the interior of Bahia

Rio de Janeiro, January 2nd, 2023 – The Ventos da Bahia Wind Farm inaugurated, on the last 24th, the Flour House of the Maní social project. Located in Bonito and Mulungu do Morro, in Bahia, the two units have a structure equipped with the necessary machinery for refining and packaging cassava. The initiative, launched by phases 1 and 2 of the wind farm, involved an investment of around R$ 1.1 million, financed through the BNDES’ (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) Social Investments (ISE) line. The project, led by EDF Renewables, was the result of several studies with the community to understand the particularities and local needs.

“The social action will contribute to the generation of income for around 450 families of rural producers linked to the associations. The initiative seeks to strengthen productive activities and bring improvements and socioeconomic development to the region, confirming our long-term commitment to the state of Bahia, where we have been operating since 2017.”, says André Salgado, CEO of EDF Renewables Brazil and VP Latam.

To increase the production capacity of the Bonito unit, solar panels were installed to help irrigate the planting area. Renewable energy will be used to power a pump that will take water from the well to a reservoir suspended 8 meters above the ground, enabling gravity irrigation. In Mulungu do Morro, a cistern-boardwalk system was built and gutters were installed on the roofs to capture rainwater.

Besides the construction of the facilities and donation of equipment, the Maní project trained more than 100 residents of nearby locations in the sustainable development of the business and promoted a series of visits to cooperatives and associations to present rural producers with examples of well consolidated productive structures, in order to inspire them in the conduction of the new flour houses.

It is estimated that the automated production units will enable an increase in the local production of cassava flour. The estimate is that each unit can hold up to six people working simultaneously and that about 100kg of cassava will be processed per day, which can be derived into four different products, such as flour and cassava sticks.

“With the Maní project, we learned how to grow cassava correctly. We farmers are very happy with the inauguration of the dreamed flour house and we especially thank EDF Renewables and everyone who was part of the project. Through this opportunity, we realized that Bonito has great potential for polyculture”, says Ana Lídia Macedo, resident of the quilombola community Cabeceira do Brejo.

The inauguration event was attended by the municipalities of Bonito and Mulungu do Morro, the presidents of local producer associations, beneficiaries and the local community.

About Ventos da Bahia Wind Farm:
The three phases of the park add up to a total investment of R$ 1.85 billion, the 3rd phase being financed by BNB, and the others by BNDES. Managed by EDF Renewables, they total 108 wind turbines for a total installed capacity of 365 MW – equivalent of annual electricity consumption of more than 900 thousand Brazilian households. The 1st phase of the park started commercial operation in 2017 and was the first wind farm of EDF Renewables in Brazil. The park has several contracts for the sale of energy in the free market (ACL) and in the regulated market (ACR).

About EDF Renewables Brazil:
In Brazil since 2015, EDF Renewables Brazil is among the country’s leaders in the renewable energy sector, totaling more than 1.8 GW in solar and wind energy projects in operation and under construction in Bahia, Minas Gerais and Paraíba.
EDF Renewables is a global energy player which develops, builds and operates renewable power generation plants.
As a major player in the energy transition worldwide, EDF Renewables deploys, within EDF Group, competitive, responsible and value-creating projects. In every country, our teams show their commitment to local stakeholders every day, adding their expertise and capacity for innovation to the fight against climate change.