Brazil's hydropower potential ranks third in the world, following Russia and China. Almost 80 percent of the energy consumed in the country originates from hydroplants.
The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, expected to be completed by January 2019 with a designed capacity of 11,233 megawatts, will be the third largest in the world behind the Three Gorges Dam in China and the Brazilian-Paraguayan Itaipu Dam. The dam and UHV transmission projects, if completed, will greatly power the development of energy-hungry southern areas.
China's UHV technology brings a huge opportunity to the development of Brazil's electric industry, said Jose da Costa Carvalho Neto, chief executive of Electrobras, Brazil's listed state-controlled electricity operator.
Electrobras has the only lab in the southern hemisphere to test the UHV AC and DC equipment. Building UHV lines will not only secure Brazil's leading position in the hemisphere, but also help Brazil take the lead in electrical technologies in the world, Costa said.
WIN-WIN PROJECTS
Introducing UHV DC technology from China to Brazil will bring revolutionary changes to north-to-south electricity transmission projects. The two transmission projects, with a total investment of 15 billion reais (4.7 billion U.S. dollars), are expected to create around 34,800 jobs in Brazil, according to estimates of the Brazilian government.
"Those projects will yield win-win results," said Zhang Jianping, an expert at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research of China's National Development and Reform Commission.
In addition, the projects will create a huge demand for electricity equipment and steel and push Brazil to update its power infrastructure.
Such projects will be very important for Brazil, which faces an economic slowdown to battle economic recession, Zhang said.
To China, those two transmission lines brought breakthroughs to the overseas development of its UHV technologies. Given the weak export growth, those projects will serve as a window for the world to see China's advanced technology and production capability. Those can be new growth points in foreign trade for China, Zhang said.
China and Brazil are two important developing countries in the world. SGCC's Belo Monte UHV transmission projects will become a model of South-South cooperation and earn an overseas reputation.
"In addition to the high-speed rails and nuclear power plants, the UHV transmission technologies can be the third flagship product of China's advanced technology and equipment," Zhang said.
The SGCC entered the Brazilian market in 2010 and is now the fourth largest electricity transmission system operator in the country. In addition, it also operates power transmission grids in the Philippines, Brazil, Portugal, Australia, Italy and Hong Kong, with total overseas investments of 9.8 billion dollars.
