The Brazilian power sector is debating the challenge of expanding renewable sources while ensuring supply security and operational cost reduction.
The rapid expansion of clean energy in Brazil has brought a new challenge to the power sector: the growing need for firm and flexible power. Given the natural intermittency of sources such as solar and wind, maintaining grid balance requires strategic solutions that combine reliability and affordable tariffs for consumers.
The topic was the central focus of discussions during the event CNN Talks Energia: O Brasil diante de um novo mercado, held in São Paulo. Experts and key leaders from the thermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric segments gathered to discuss pathways to reconcile the energy transition with the operational stability of the national grid.
Fair Competition and the Role of Natural Gas
To optimize meeting demand, experts argue that the power mix needs transparent competition based on the technical attributes of each technology. According to Marcelo Lopes, executive director at Eneva, the market must value the capacity for rapid electricity delivery.
Marcelo Lopes stated:
Without firm energy and without artificialities. You must have competition among sources, competition among supply alternatives, and pay for the specific required attribute
The executive highlighted that operational flexibility comes at a price, but increased domestic natural gas production can lower maintenance costs for dispatchable thermal plants. Integrated planning, combining hydropower, intermittent sources, gas, and nuclear power, is seen as the key to a balanced model.
The Future and Costs of Nuclear Energy
The security of the power mix also relies on consolidating nuclear energy. During the event, Celso Cunha, president of ABDAN, emphasized that the country urgently needs to define the future of the Angra 3 nuclear plant, weighing the high costs between completing construction and decommissioning.
Celso Cunha stated:
There is no energy source capable of delivering 1.4 gigawatts for a two-billion difference
Furthermore, the sector is betting on innovation through small modular reactors (SMRs) and the urgency of a modern legal framework to attract private investment to Brazil’s nuclear sector.
The Strategic Importance of Hydropower
While new technologies gain ground, traditional hydroelectric plants remain pillars of system stability. With the solar power boom, generation swings at dusk require rapid grid responses, a role efficiently fulfilled by hydro resources.
An expert stated:
Hydropower plays this extremely important role. When solar or other renewables stop generating, or are not yet at full capacity, it ensures that the system works
As highlighted by João Guillaumon, vice president of Auren Energia, the current challenge lies in improving the remuneration of these assets by properly recognizing essential services provided to the grid, such as frequency regulation.
The future of sustainable energy in the country will directly depend on regulatory and planning capacity to integrate all these technologies. The harmony between renewable sources and flexible backup will be decisive in consolidating a modern, secure, and economically viable power market in the coming years.
