The project by State Grid Brazil Holding will transport electricity produced in the Northeast to the country and strengthen the economic viability of wind and solar plants in the region.
State Grid Brazil Holding (SGBH) — a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest energy groups, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) — will lay the cornerstone of the “Ultra High Voltage Project in Northeast Brazil” on June 30 in Silvânia (GO), to which R$18 billion will be earmarked. This will be the beginning of a project that will channel electricity produced in the Northeast by wind, solar and hydroelectric plants. Experts have identified it as the largest transmission concession in Brazil’s history.
The initiative will play a crucial role in improving the security and stability of the Brazilian electricity grid and in promoting the absorption of clean and renewable energy sources from the Northeast. It will contribute to the economic viability of these projects and the country's low-carbon socioeconomic development.
The project involves the construction of a 1,468 km ultra-high voltage (800 kV) direct current transmission line —between the cities of Graça Aranha (Maranhão) and Silvânia (Goiás), passing through Tocantins—, two converter stations and alternating current support units, with a transmission capacity of 5 million kW. It will meet the demand of approximately 12 million people in various parts of the Midwest, including Brasília.
The project, known as GATE — the acronym for the subsidiary that will manage it, Graça Aranha Transmissora de Energia SA —, is scheduled for completion in 2029. It is under the responsibility of SGBH, a company that has been in the country for 15 years, owns assets in several regions and is responsible for building and managing the line that connects the Belo Monte plant (Pará) to the Terminal Rio substation, in Paracambi (Rio de Janeiro).
The ceremony in Silvânia —which will be attended by authorities; the President of SGBH, Mr. Sun Tao, and the company's main executives; in addition to authorities and other distinguished figures— will present to the press and other guests a “Chinese solution” for the transmission of clean energy from renewable sources. The work marks another step forward for the group, which, in addition to electricity from clean sources, has included renewable energy in its transmissions. It also deepens mutual benefits for Chinese and Brazilians and takes this cooperation in the energy and electricity sector to a new level.
Origin
The “Ultra-High Voltage Project in Northeast Brazil” took its first step when SGBH won the bid for this concession on December 15, 2023. It became the third transmission project in this type of voltage won by a member of the SGCC group abroad, after the two Belo Monte ultra-high voltage transmission projects: Phase I and II.
On April 3, 2024, State Grid Brazil Holding signed the project concession agreement with the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) at the Planalto Palace. After formalizing this commitment, it immediately began topographic surveys and the geographic orientation of the transmission line. And fifteen months after obtaining the licensing and positive environmental assessment for what it proposed to complete, the company is starting construction of the Silvânia converter station. The work should be completed and start operating in 2029, with a concession period of 30 years for the line.
Cooperation
The start-up of the Silvânia converter station marks another achievement in Sino-Brazilian collaboration in line with China’s “Belt and Road” initiative and Brazil’s “Accelerate Growth” plan. It also reflects Brazil’s confidence in China’s technological standards and experience in ultra-high voltage infrastructure, contributing to the consolidation of the partnership between the two nations.
SGCC China invests in, builds and operates power grids and is the world's largest utility company. It is ranked 3rd in the Fortune Global 500 and has been ranked in the sovereign credit category by three of the largest international rating agencies for 12 consecutive years. Its portfolio includes 40 ultra-high voltage transmission projects in alternating and direct current, produced by wind, solar and hydroelectric plants. This experience gives the group global leadership in the electricity sector. In addition, it has held the longest operational safety record among large-scale power grids for over 20 years, which allows the company to highlight its leadership, with Chinese characteristics, internationally.
