Sep 15, 2020

 The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) signed, on Tuesday (15), a Technical Cooperation Agreement whose focus is the Federal Government's Mais Luz para a Amazônia Program. The program aims to serve approximately 82,000 families who do not have access to electricity in remote areas of the Amazon Region. Through the document, the two institutions undertake to conduct studies and collect financing proposals to raise funds for the program. 

One of the objectives of the agreement is to allow the Federal Government's program to obtain funds from the United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF), which finances projects to reduce impact and adapt to climate change. BNDES was qualified in July 2019 as one of its operators. To this end, the Bank and the MME will prepare a detailed proposal on Mais Luz para a Amazônia, including its budget and its environmental benefits, which is a prerequisite for accessing the UN financial mechanism.

"This partnership with BNDES will be fundamental for this program to have a new perspective in terms of financing, whether national or coming from abroad," said the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque.

Since the Ministry's initial perspective is to provide the service through local photovoltaic systems (solar energy), small biomass plants and other renewable energy sources, the program is expected to be attractive for initiatives aimed at environmental projects and at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These are some of the guidelines of the Green Climate Fund, among other institutions.

Gustavo Montezano, President of BNDES, stated that it is necessary to bring sustainability to the Amazon in environmental, social, energy and economic terms. "Bringing clean energy to the Amazon is essential to having an Amazon as we want it: perennial and healthy," said Montezano.

The initial estimate is that the Mais Luz para a Amazônia Program will require investments in the amount of R$ 3 billion. Its feasibility is part of BNDES's mission, among which are social and regional development, the expansion of the use of renewable energies and the contribution to the effectiveness of a low carbon economy.

The agreement signing event took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, in Brasília, and was attended by Roberto Parucker, President of Eletronorte.