Brazil Just Set a New Record of Energy Consumption

Electricity in Brazil Brazil’s National Electricity System Operator (ONS) reported a new record of consumption this past Thursday: at 3:00 pm the country was using a grand total of 70.4 gigawatts. In fact, records were set on three consecutive days.  In 2009, the record was 67.4 gigawatts on Nov 26.

Meanwhile, the director of Gas and Energy at Petrobras, Graça Foster, says she was aware of the record levels of demand and acted accordingly by ordering thermoelectric power plants into operation.

Foster says 3.2 gigawatts of electricity are being generated by thermoelectric power plants to keep up with demand. They also keep the rest of the system from overheating.

Here is a breakdown of the situation Thursday: Brazilian hydroelectric power plants were furnishing almost 80% of supply; the Itaipu binational power plant over 12%; the nuclear power plants, Angra I and II, 3.3%; thermoelectric power plants slightly over 4%; and wind power 0.3%.

Foster explains that consumption is up for a number of reasons. First, there is the heat; people want to cool off in the Brazilian summertime. Then, there has been some upward social mobility and as lower-income families buy more durable goods, they are using them.

Industrial consumption has also risen. The international financial crisis was a drag on the Brazilian economy in the first half of 2009, but business slowly picked up in the latter half of the year.

And January industrial output, normally a little sluggish after the holiday season, has been surprisingly strong.

ABr

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Industry’s Confidence Index Falls Slightly

In comparison with the last month the confidence of Brazilian industrialists in Brazil's economy ...

Brazil’s Lula Makes Defense of Democracy Before Chavez

South American integration is "advancing fast and with our own resources," said Brazilian president ...

Brazilian Police Detain Pigeons Bringing Inmates Cell Phones

Brazilian inmates were found to be using carrier pigeons to smuggle cell phones onto ...

Brazilian President Ready for 5th African Tour

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will make an official visit to Algeria ...

Brazil and Uruguay Ready to Forgo Dollar and Do Business in Real and Peso

Brazil and Uruguay have plans to have bilateral trade operations in their respective local ...

Brazil’s Surplus Reaches US$ 21 Billion for the Year

The Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus of US$ 1.693 billion on the first ...

Brazil’s Presidential Hopeful Rousseff Goes Back on Platform’s Radical Proposals

Brazil’s opposition presidential candidate José Serra strongly questioned the “radical” positions of also presidential ...

Brazil Reinforces Presence in Haiti with 850 Troops

A force comprising 209 soldiers from various Army units in Northeast Brazil embarked for ...

First Made-in-Brazil Rig Starts Production Off Brazilian Coast

Petrobras, Brazil's government-controlled oil and gas multinational, announced that the first semi-submersible platform built ...

Law Students Interested in Human Rights Wanted for Volunteer Work in Brazil

The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights and Terra de Direitos are ...