The Brazilian government has set the minimum price for privatizing the 1,676 MW Governor Bento Munhoz da Rocha Netto hydro power plant at BRL1.9 billion (US$360 million).
The plant, owned and operated by regional power utility Companhia Paranaense de Energia (Copel), is located on the Iguacu River between the municipalities of Guarapuava, Mangueirinha and Pinhão in Paraná. It began operating in 1980 and was previously known as Foz do Areia.
The dam is a compacted rockfill with a concrete face. It was the first to be built in Brazil and the largest in the world of its kind at the time, with 160 m high and 828 m long. The powerhouse contains four turbine-generator units, each with a capacity of 419 MW. ANDRITZ Hydro Brasil was contracted to complete a rehabilitation in 2015.
According to BNamericas, the government is expected to enter into a 30-year concession contract for the plant, which will operate under the independent energy production regime. This will allow its owner to trade electricity in the regulated and free markets.
Hydroelectricity accounts for 58% of Brazil’s installed capacity, with 109 GW.
