Brazilian metals and mining company Vale SA has commissioned part of what it terms as as one of the largest solar energy plants in Latin America with 766 MW capacity; on completion it will account for 16% of all power consumed by the mining giant in Brazil.
Vale has energized 4 sub-parks out of 17 that will make up the Sol do Cerrado Solar Power Plant in Jaíba municipality of Northern Minas Gerais. The project has been under construction since January 2021 and has created around 3,000 jobs during peak activities.
It is scheduled to come online completely in July 2023 occupying land equivalent to around 1,300 soccer fields. The project will be equipped with 1.4 million solar panels, 10.2 million meters of cables to transport power, and NX Horizon bifacially optimized trackers from America's Nextracker (see Latin America PV News Snippets).
Vale said the project is an important step in achieving its climate goals of cutting down net carbon emissions by 33% by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. The miner eventually aims for renewables to account for 100% of its electricity consumption in Brazil by 2025, and globally by 2030.
"Sol do Cerrado is a unique project for Vale, which is providing local development and renewable energy. It is linked to our goal of being leaders in sustainable mining," said Vale CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo.
Earlier this year, Macquarie Asset Management's Green Investment Group (GIG) joined hands with Norway's Hydro Rein to co-develop a 586 MW wind and solar project in Brazil to power Norsk Hydro's bauxite mine and alumina refinery (see 586 MW Wind & Solar Power Project In Brazil).
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