Latin America PV News Snippets: Shell, MME, Coema

• Shell Energy to invest in solar, wind and thermal-based gas assets in Brazil
• Brazil's Energy Ministry will conduct a reserve energy auction in October 2021
• Coema has approved EIA for a 230 MW solar power plant to come up in Brazilian state of Ceara

Shell to invest in RE in Brazil: Royal Dutch Shell has launched Shell Energy Brazil as its new brand for the Latin American nation to invest in renewables and decarbonization efforts. It will produce and market clean electricity from solar, wind and thermal-based gas assets. Shell Energy has a mandate to invest BRL 3 billion in Brazil by 2025. Calling Brazil as one of Shell Energy's strategic markets, the company claims to have 6 solar power projects with a generation capacity of over 2 GW in Brazil, including the cooperation agreement with steel producer Gerdau under a PV joint venture (see Latin America PV Snippets: Scatec, Atlas, Shell, XM).

"Our goal is to be the preferred partner for companies of all sizes, including those that are not familiar with the free energy market, but wish to reduce their costs and footprint," said Shell Brasil and Shell Energy's Director of Renewables and Energy Solutions, Guilherme Perdigão. "The business is strategic for Shell to meet its goal of zero net emissions by 2050, considering emissions in the production, sale and final use of all products sold by Shell – including those produced by third parties."

Reserve Energy Auction in Brazil: Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) will conduct a Reserve Energy Auction in October 2021 and has released guidelines for the same. Termed Simplified Competitive Procedure 2021, it aims to ensure stable and reliable electricity supply in the country through contracting reserve energy. This capacity will also act as a safeguard in the face of water scarcity making hydropower plants run low. The competition will be open to solar, wind and thermoelectric plants using biomass, natural gas, fuel oil or diesel as a source. Selected projects are expected to come online and start supplying electricity under a power purchase agreement (PPA) from May 2022 till December 31, 2025.

230 MW solar project for Ceara: Coema, the state environmental council of the Brazilian state of Ceara, has cleared a 230 MW solar power plant to come up after it approved the project's environmental impact study (EIA). According to local media reports, the facility will be developed as 6 solar parks of 30 MW each, and 2×25 MW installations in the city of Jaguaretama. Before the project can be developed, however, the developer needs to obtain an installation license from the state's environmental agency Semace to be able to operate as an independent energy producer.