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To Maintain Its Title as the Cheapest Rate in Brazil, Coopera Will Invest in the Construction of a New Power Substation
The Pioneering Cooperative of Electrification (Coopera), owner of the lowest rate of electricity in Brazil, with a rate of R$ 0.40303 per MWh, will further enhance its energy service, security, and fair pricing by investing R$ 75 million in the construction of the new substation by 2024.
According to Walmir Rampinelli, president of Coopera, there is an ongoing project to deliver the substation on the Jorge Lacerda highway to serve the entire industrial district of Criciúma.
With the new substation, the municipality will receive power from the CTG (Center for Gaúcha Traditions) Pedro Raymundo. As the company president assures, “we need a quality power supply.” Over the past 12 years, Coopera has allocated more than R$ 100 million to the renovation and expansion of electric power distribution networks in Brazil.
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In these 12 years, two power substations have been built in Brazil, one in Forquilhinha and another in Nova Veneza. In addition to these constructions, the work on the PCH (Small Hydroelectric Power Plant) will be completed.
Part of Coopera’s Investment Will Be Directed Toward a Social Project
The remainder of Coopera’s investment will be directed toward Integra Coopera, a space focused on the education and development of cooperators and the local community. In the opinion of the company’s president, the social project is not solely aimed at generating capital. The company’s project includes courses in crafts, guitar lessons, English, German, Italian, cooking, massage therapy, and it also features a club for women cooperators.
The company returned approximately R$ 5 million to its consumers in May, related to the year 2021. “What happened was the distribution of results, impacting around a 50% reduction in the electricity bill of our cooperators, based on the contributions from 2021,” explains the company president.
Coopera Has 63 Years of Operations in the Market
The company, founded in January 1959 in Brazil, when the municipality of Forquilhinha was still part of Criciúma, was established to assist businesses and industries in rural areas, since the Electric Utilities of Santa Catarina (Celesc) chose not to manage the energy in the region.
In 2017, the Brazilian energy distributor was restructured, leading to the creation of the Pioneering Cooperative of Generation and Development. The goal of COOPERA GD is to foster the growth of new activities, such as electrical solutions, electric power generation, among other services for its consumers and society.
In 2018, COOPERA GD began its operations in internet service provision with COOPERA Telecom Ltda, and in January 2019 it commenced the operation of Coopera electrical solutions, as a distributor of electrical materials and hardware.
Today, Coopera Electrical Solutions is one of the largest distributors of electrical materials in Southern Santa Catarina.
For president Walmir Rampinelli, the objective was to bring electricity to the interior of the state, where the utility company at the time had no interest in investing. Thus, 63 years ago, 62 men and women formed and founded Coopera, the president recalls. Currently, the company has 130 employees.
In Santa Catarina, the cooperative serves Forquilhinha, Nova Veneza, the southern region of Criciúma, and a small part of the municipality of Maracajá. According to the company’s general manager, Rogério Braz Feller, the company has a very strong manufacturing field, which gives them a significant responsibility to provide energy both in quantity and quality.
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