Old Landfill in Bahia to Be Transformed into Giant Solar Plant

Old Landfill Deactivated in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Will Become a Solar Power Plant. Entities Discuss the Need for Official Closure of the Landfill for the Construction of the Project.

The old landfill in Feira de Santana, Bahia, which has been deactivated for years, may be transformed into a solar power plant. The aim is to generate clean and renewable energy for municipal public buildings to continue functioning. The area is located next to the current landfill in the Nova Esperança neighborhood and spans 22 hectares.

Entities Discuss the Need for Official Closure of the Landfill!

The possibility of constructing the solar power plant in Bahia was addressed in a meeting on Thursday afternoon (9), with the presence of Pedro Maranhão, National Secretary of Sanitation, who discussed the significant need for the official closure of the landfill in Bahia. The secretary was welcomed at the Maria Quitéria Municipal Hall by Denilton Brito, municipal Secretary of Government, who was present representing Mayor Colbert Filho.

According to Pedro Maranhão, the leachate from the landfill in Feira de Santana, Bahia, causes damage to the soil that, in the long run, may contaminate the groundwater. A technical cooperation agreement will be established to properly close the landfill, potentially giving rise to a solar power plant.

According to Brito, it is very rewarding to receive the secretary’s visit to the municipality. Also present at the meeting were municipal secretaries Sebastião Cunha, of Economic Development; Carlos Brito, of Planning; João Vianey, Superintendent of Operations and Maintenance; as well as the Municipal Attorney, Carlos Alberto Moura Pinho, and the president of Sustentare, Adilson Martins.

Feira de Santana Collects 71 Thousand Tons of Garbage

According to data released by the municipality, during the first three months of last year, approximately 71 thousand tons of garbage were collected in Feira de Santana, Bahia. The calculations came from João Marcelo Gomes, Director of the Public Cleaning Department of SESP.

During this period, cleaning campaigns were conducted in various neighborhoods, as well as maintenance on the main avenues of the city and in residential areas of the “Minha Casa, Minha Vida” program and drainage channels.

At the time, Eli Ribeiro, Secretary of Public Services, stated that the department has been working daily to develop a clean city, prioritizing the well-being of the population. The neighborhood of Santa Mônica also received the cleaning campaign and the Bota Fora action.

Bahia Receives Million-Dollar Investments for Solar Energy Market Expansion

In 2020, RMB inaugurated a solar power plant in Feira de Santana, Bahia, which received an investment of R$ 1 million. In total, the solar plant comprises 1,600 square meters of photovoltaic panels with a production capacity of 180 thousand kilowatts per year.

The return on investment will come in 2025, generating savings of R$ 8 thousand per month on its energy bill. According to the company, in addition to the economic aspect, the solar power plant also focuses on sustainability and the reduction of pollutant emissions.

It is important to highlight that Bahia leads the way in solar energy generation and is very engaged in this category of generation. According to the Bahia Department of Economic Development and the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), the solar energy landscape in the state accounts for 25% of the solar power plants in the country, thus being the national leader in generating energy from this source.

Due to high solar incidence because of latitude, its tropical climate is predominantly characterized by high temperatures, exceeding 30 °C on average annually.