State Grid Deepens China-Brazil Cooperation

The Brazilian Ministry of Energy and Mines and State Grid Corporation of China signed the operation license of Phase II of the Brazilian Belo Monte Hydropower ±800kV UHV DC Transmission Project, which was witnessed by Chinese and Brazilian presidents on Oct 25, marking the start of the project's commercial operation.

Construction of the project began in September 2017.

Starting from the Belo Monte Hydropower Plant, the project goes through 81 cities in five states of the country and terminates at Rio de Janeiro on the southeastern coast of Brazil.

With a total length of 2,539 kilometers, it is the longest ±800kV UHV DC project in the world.

The Phase II project is an electric highway which will transmit clean hydropower to load centers in southeastern regions, meeting the needs of 22 million people, 10 percent of the country's population.

It is a fruit of China's power grid technology and a golden business card of the China-Brazil economic and trade cooperation's win-win result.

The company has been supporting the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative in Brazil in recent years by promoting energy cooperation between China and Brazil, shouldering social responsibilities and furthering cultural exchanges.

Many achievements have been made on both projects and image building of Chinese SOEs.

Contributing to Brazil's development via China-Brazil energy cooperation

Western and northern Brazil are rich in water resources while the load centers like Saint Paulo and Rio de Janerio are in the southeastern part. The distance between power users and the generating center is more than 2,000 kilometers, which is quite similar to that of China.

Ultra high voltage power transmission technology is a solution to the situation. It transfers clean hydropower produced from the Amazon River in northern Brazil to other areas and promotes Chinese ultra-high voltage direct current transmission technology, electric equipment and operation management to the world.

The project also drives upgrading of Brazilian electric technology and offers a Chinese solution to energy safety and stability in the country.

The safe and high-quality operation of the Phase II project is an driving force to the country's economic and social development.

Adhering to the principle of localization and win-win cooperation, State Grid's investment in Brazil has contributed to the development of the upstream and downstream chain and created many jobs for local people.

According to statistics, the State Grid in Brazil has invested nearly 16.5 billion BRL ($3.94 billion) in green projects since its founding nine years ago, creating more than 6 billion BRL in revenue and about 100,000 jobs.

The project is also the first large-scale project not to have received any environmental penalties in Brazil in recent years.

Zhang Zhe, director assistant of the Marketing Department of State Grid International Development Co., Ltd, said that the company was devoted to environmental protection work as early as July 2015, two years before the construction started in September 2017.

He explained that the project passes the residential zone of aboriginal and geological reserve districts with many historic sites. Construction teams undertook archaeological surveys and protected the relics.

According to Zhang, State Grid's teams inspected 936 kinds of animals, saved 60 types of endangered plants and recovered vegetation covering 1,100 hectares (11 million sq m).

The entire investment for environment protection exceeded 30 million BRL.

Taking social responsibilities, protecting the history

State Grid has also been devoted to many social responsibilities during Phase II. For example, the company helped a community rich in fruits build a modern juice factory, which improved its people's incomes.

A project on protection of the Valongo Wharf in a central area of Rio De Janeiro began on Sept 17 this year, in which State Grid in Brazil plays a key role.

The site was given the title of a Human Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2017 and provided with a security system and permanent identifiers.

In addition, work including collecting archaeological objects, helping the construction of museums and visitor service centers, installing lightening systems and opening history education in 11 middle schools and colleges were conducted to meet UNESCO requirements.

Chen Yongcan, deputy consul general of China in Rio de Janeiro, commented that the Valongo Wharf protection project was a reflection of Chinese institutions' enthusiasm in public welfare in Brazil. They actively participated in cultural protection and all kinds of industries in the country and returned benefits to the society. Their acts promoted local livelihood project development.

Establishing friendship with local people through cultural exchange

State Grid has set a clear goal of sustainable development and administrated with the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits during its participation in Belt and Road construction.

Upholding market-oriented, long-term and localized management by the rule of law is also a solid principle of the company as it promotes State Grid's and local economic and social development.

Culture was and is seen as a critical matter.

A demonstration center for cultural exchange between Brazil and China was opened to the public in Rio de Janeiro on Nov 6 by State Grid and the Confucius Institute in the city.

Under the guidance of the Chinese Consulate General in Rio and the Department of Culture in Rio, the center was constructed by several Chinese enterprises in Brazil and is expected to evolve into a transnational, transcultural and inter-enterprise integrated platform.

The Phase II of Brazilian Belo Monte Hydropower ±800kV UHV DC Transmission Project goes through 81 cities in five states of Brazil. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)