In Brazil, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social – BNDES) has approved a BRL 46.9 million (≈ EUR 11.1 million) financing for Central Energética Tupaciguara Ltda (CET) to increase its cogeneration capacity and export electricity produced from sugarcane bagasse. The funding will enable the expansion of the current power capacity from 12 MW to 35 MW by 2023.
Located in the municipality of Tupaciguara, 50 km from Uberlândia, in Minas Gerais, Central Energética Tupaciguara Ltda (CET) is a special purpose company (SPE) in the sugar-energy sector. It was created in 2018 by Grupo Saci Perplan for the production and commercialisation of renewable electric energy, from the burning of the sugarcane bagasse processed by the group.
According to BNDES, its funding represents 76 percent of the total cost of the project and will be used in the acquisition of equipment and civil works to enable the almost tripling of installed generation capacity. This includes new switching substations, as well as transmission lines to the Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (CEMIG) network. The investments are complementary to the installation of a new boiler acquired by the company in 2018, also with BNDES funding.
The new cogeneration plant is anticipated to begin operating from the 2019-2020 harvest, with a gradual increase in installed cogeneration capacity. From 2023, the annual generation of the Tupaciguara Power Plant will have reached its 35 MW maximum capacity – an increase of more than 190 percent from the current 12 MW capacity. Similarly, the power exported to the CEMIG network should over quadruple, from 5.5 MW to 25 MW.
During its implementation, the project will generate 100 direct jobs, and once completed, 53 new direct jobs will be created. Currently, the cogeneration assets belong to the plant controlled by the Saci Perplan Group, Bioenergia Aroeira SA, but are being transferred to the newly established Central Energética Tupaciguara, which is in the pre-operational phase and will be responsible for the management of the assets of cogeneration of the group.
