Acre’s auction for the contracting of studies was held on Monday, 24, Rio Grande do Norte’s on Tuesday, 25th, and Santa Catarina’s on Wednesday, 26th. Ceará’s auction, which was scheduled for the 24th, was rescheduled to May 9th due to the need for adjustments in the specifications of the bidding notice. Paraíba’s auction, scheduled for the 25th, was revoked because the state decided to quit the program.

The NDB loan, which will also have local contribution in the amount of US$ 300 million, represents the beginning of a partnership that aims at the development of the renewable power sector, relying on projects of wind, solar, hydropower (small hydropower plants) generation from biomass, biogas and agricultural waste. It is estimated that the loan will enable investments that will add around 600 MW to the Brazilian generation capacity.

Operating statistics of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) in the first quarter of 2017 reinforce the expectation of improving economic activity, with gradual recovery of the demand for BNDES funds throughout the year. An important sign appears in the numbers of the line BNDES Finame, which finances the acquisition of machinery and equipment. The approvals of this line (step prior to disbursement) increased 32% in the first three months of the year, in comparison with the first quarter of the previous year. R$ 4.6 billion were approved between January and March of this year against R$ 3.4 billion in the first quarter of 2016.

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has approved R$ 679 million funding to the enterprise Atlantic Energias Renováveis S.A. for deployment of the Santa Vitória do Palmar Wind Power Complex, in Rio Grande do Sul. The project, budgeted at R$ 1.2 billion, is formed by twelve farms and their associated transmission systems, with installed capacity of 207 megawatts (MW), enough to serve about 400,000 homes or 1,200,000 inhabitants.