Details of a BRL 260 million (≈ EUR 65 million) 50 MW biomass power plant project planned in the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul have recently been released by the State Governor's office. To be built by local companies Grupo Estrela and Omega Engenharia, the UTE Cambará do Sul plant will utilise biomass, mainly sawmill residuals and forest thinning from nearby pine plantations as the fuel source.
According to a statement, the consortium secured the UTE Cambará do Sul project through the A-6 2017 tender of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) to provide power for a period of 25 years. In a meeting held on January 30, Grupo Estrela and Omega Engenharia outlined details of the project which is to be implemented in Cambará do Sul, near the border with Santa Catarina.
The 50 MW plant will use 85 tonnes per hour of biomass made up of sawmill residues and forest thinnings from 150 000 ha of pine plantations located within a 100 km radius of the proposed site. The plant is due to come on stream in January 2023.
In the presentation of the project, which was attended by the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (SME), José Francisco Braga, it was stressed that the project will assist in forest management and the development of the region by providing an off-take for residuals, which, in addition to representing an environmental solution, will boost the wood processing industry in the region.
