Last week, Vale started operating the Sol do Cerrado Project, one of the largest solar energy parks in Latin America. The development will be installed in the municipality of Jaíba, in the north of Minas Gerais.
The mega solar plant, which received investments of approximately R$3 billion (U$590 million), will have an installed power of 766 Megawatts/peak, equivalent to the consumption of a municipality with 800 inhabitants.
Watch a short video of a tour of the solar photovoltaic venture in the video below
The mega plant started operating last Thursday, the 17th. According to a report by Vale, the Sol do Cerrado Project will be equivalent to 41% of the entire installed power generation capacity. solar energy in the State of Minas Gerais, being 10% of the national capacity.
When the plant reaches its full capacity, in July 2023, the project will generate 16% of all energy consumed by the mining company in Brazil. Therefore, the plant occupies an area equivalent to 1,3 soccer fields. The development comprises 17 sub-parks, four of which have already been energized.
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In a note, the president of Vale, Eduardo Bartolomeo, stated that “Sol do Cerrado is an unprecedented project for Vale, which brings local development, renewable energy and is linked to our goal of being leaders in sustainable mining”.
When at full capacity, the project will have 1,4 million solar panels with an automatic tracking system for the movement of the sun during the day, that is, it will ensure greater use of the sun's rays in energy generation.
Mega plant works focused on local labor
Initiated in January 2021, the Sol do Cerrado works generated around 3 jobs at the peak of activities, almost 50% of the city's workforce. Of this total, 16% are women.
For the works, residents of the region were qualified and employers to work in the works as mechanics, bricklayers and professionals in industrial electrical installation.
According to Vale, when it reaches its maximum operating capacity, Sol do Cerrado will have 90 permanent workers with different qualifications, such as electricians, electrical technicians and general service assistants.
The project aims to further strengthen solar energy generation in Minas Gerais. Today, the state is the federative unit with the highest installed capacity for solar energy generation, followed by the states of Bahia and Piauí.
In this way, the energy generated in Sol do Cerrado is injected into the National Interconnected System (SIN), that is, it can be consumed in any region of Brazil.
Last year, the OK announced that its goal is to have 100% of electricity consumption from renewable sources in Brazil by 2025 and, globally, by 2030. Therefore, the mega plant is part of the institution's strategy to zero its CO2 emissions by 2050.
Also according to the company, the energy generated by the Jaíba mega-plant will reduce Vale's emissions by 134 tCO2e/year, equivalent to the emissions of approximately 100 compact cars.
Finally, Vale's project will be presented at the Climate Conference (COP 27), which is taking place in the city of Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt.