The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) published its Monthly Energy Bulletin for August 2022, showing an increase of more than 13% in the supply of hydroelectric energy compared with 2021.
As reported by BNamericas, in addition, there was a sharp drop in coal and natural gas thermal generation in 2022, of more than 40% each.
The increase in hydroelectric generation is due to the improvement in rainfall this year, combined with strategies adopted in managing the 2021 water crisis. This resulted in higher levels of storage in the hydroelectric reservoirs.
There was also improvement in the amount of renewable energy in the electric system. It is estimated that 46.7% of the energy matrix in Brazil in 2022 will be composed of renewable sources (compared with 44.7% in 2021). In the electricity matrix, this share is over 85% (compared with 78.1% in 2021).
The forecast is for a strong increase in solar generation (more than 70%) and growth in wind and hydropower (more than 13% each).
Final energy consumption in the country should grow by about 1.6% in 2022, according to the bulletin. The internal energy supply may decline by 0.6%, due to the lower generation of thermal plants.
The Monthly Energy Bulletin is a product of the Department of Energy Information and Studies of the Energy Planning and Development Secretariat of the MME.
According to the International Hydropower Association, Brazil had total installed hydropower capacity of 109,058 MW in 2019 (most recent data available).
