Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB – Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil) has signed a contract with Internexco GmbH (part of Rosatom) for the temporary conversion and enrichment abroad of up to 275,000 kg of uranium concentrate (U3O8) produced at the Uranium Concentration Unit in Caetite The final product will be returned by December 2027 in the form of UF6 enriched to 4.25% and will be used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel for the Angra dos Reis NPP INB President Adauto Seixas said logistics planning for land operations in Brazil for the shipment is already underway as well as contracting for international shipping from the port of Salvador to Russia An international tender was held for the contract and Seixas said INB plans to increase the frequency of such contracts through future international bids following the successful resumption of uranium production in Caetite Conversion – the transformation of U3O8 into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas is the only step in the nuclear fuel cycle that INB does not undertake The next stage is to enrich the gas enrichment step is carried out The INB Enrichment Plant is being constructed in stages at the Nuclear Fuel Factory in Resende It currently has installed capacity to meet about 70% of the enriched uranium needed required to refuel unit 1 of the Angra NPP which generate about 3% of its electricity A third unit is being built but construction has been suspended for the time being Uranium has been mined in Brazil since 1982 but the only operating mine is INB’s Lagoa Real/Caetité mine It has a capacity of 340 tU a year with known resources of 10,000 tU at 0.3%U Brazil’s uranium requirements are currently about 339 tU a year Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the Progressive Media network © Business Trade Media International Limited INB performs the first two stages of the nuclear fuel cycle: uranium mining and milling located in a mineral province with reserves reaching 99,100 tonnes of uranium and where over 17 ore deposits have been identified About 3750 tonnes of uranium concentrate were produced at Caetité between 2000 and 2015 since the exhaustion of mineable reserves in the Cachoeira mine "Brazil has the technological mastery of all stages of nuclear fuel production the nuclear fuel cycle," said INB President Carlos Freire Moreira that means little if we are unable to extract and add value to uranium saving foreign exchange on imports and generating employment and income for the country INB is resuming production of uranium in Caetité generating with this jobs in the order of 600 direct and about 1800 indirect there will be an injection of financial resources in the local economy of approximately 76 million reals (USD14.6 million) per year and almost 30 million per year in the collection of state and municipal taxes." said: "This resumption is the first phase to consolidate our proposal to make Brazil self-sufficient and a yellowcake exporter." The Engenho mine is expected to produce 260 tonnes of uranium concentrate annually once it reaches full capacity in 2022 Output from the mine will be processed at the nearby Caetité mill Brazil has two nuclear reactors - Angra 1 and 2 - which generate about 3% of its electricity State-owned INB says tripling of price means possible growth in sector Brazil has announced it is to resume exploration for uranium in the country after a 40-year hiatus as it eyes “an avenue of opportunities” following the tripling of the uranium price in recent years State-owned nuclear fuel cycle company Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) which is under the control of the Ministry of Mines and Energy said in a statement on 21 August that it had launched a programme to work in partnership with companies in the mining sector “New research will be carried out in areas known for their great mineral potential for this valuable substance which is the most accessible raw material for nuclear energy generation,” INB said INB president Adauto Seixas said the new round of research comes at an important time for the country because national production is still lower than the domestic consumption of Brazil’s two commercial nuclear power plants Seixas said INB also needs to take into account an increase in demand that will come with the completion of Angra-3, construction of which began in 1984 but has seen a number of lengthy delays INB said the price of uranium has more than tripled in recent years bringing an avenue of opportunities for growth in the sector including exports It said that according to a study 40 years ago Brazil had the eighth largest uranium reserve in the world considering that the second largest reserve is in Kazakhstan which is the same size as the state of Rio de Janeiro it is possible that the country could eventually take second place,” INB said but the only operating mine is INB’s Caetité unit in Lagoa Real province with a capacity of 340 tU per year According to a report for the International Atomic Energy Agency is by far the most important and best-known uranium occurrence in Brazil The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) said in a 2022 report that the expansion of the Caetité mine to 670 tU/year had been progressing In the same report the NEA said that since 2014 INB has been working on the development of the Engenho deposit in Bahia state with the commissioning process beginning in 2019-2020 without significant production Brazil has two commercial reactors at Angra but does not produce enough uranium to meet their needs Please read our republishing guidelines to get started The Lagoa Encantada in the Brazilian state of Bahia the site of the multi-million dollar Porto Sul complex (image: Rui Rocha) Mangroves, lagoons, artisanal fishing and organic chocolate farms all contribute to the Atlantic Forest’s rich natural and social ecosystems. Around 80% of the remaining Atlantic Forest is found along a stretch of coast in southern Bahia, a state in the northeast of Brazil At the heart of this region is the city of Ilhéus within the district of Aritaguá and the Lagoa Encantada Environmental Protection Area (APA) the Porto Sul Port and Services Complex is being built this controversial project has embroiled social groups together with a consortium that includes the state-owned China Railway Group Ltd and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will construct the port It is expected to be complete in four years at a total cost of 2.5 billion Reais (US$580 million) The justification for Porto Sul lies 450 kilometres inland, in the city of Caetité. It is here in the Upper Sertão region that BAMIN, controlled by the Kazakh Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), which is mired corruption cases plans to mine iron from a deposit discovered in 2006 the government of Bahia has argued that alongside the mine a railway and a port are necessary to ship the ore to the Chinese steel market The idea for the West-East Integration Railway (FIOL) running from Caetité to Ilhéus was born the port will cover 18 million square metres of open water and a logistics centre on the mainland In the 13 years since the plan was presented weak environmental impact assessments published On one side of the debate, the government and BAMIN maintain that the installations will bring jobs and development. Representatives of civic organisations say they will cause irreversible damage to the last remnants of the Atlantic Forest, ruining a system that brings together sustainable cocoa production, family-run agriculture The 18 million square-metre site that will house the Porto Sul complex (image: Rui Rocha) “What is at stake is the type of development desired for the region,” says Rui Rocha professor at Santa Cruz State University (UESC) in Ilhéus “Is our role in the twenty-first century still to generate wealth for other countries or even low impact industries like information technology – which we already have?” Rocha questions the government’s justification for the mega-project as the direct creator of 400 jobs He argues that over 1,000 jobs would be lost on chocolate producing farms that would have to be expropriated for the port and railroad a prominent social activist who has been part of the debate for years agrees with Rocha’s analysis and is critical of the narrow scope of environmental licences which does not show the actual size of the problem,” she says “How can a licence for the port be issued before the railroad is there And how can the mine be approved without knowing how it will ship [the ore] The Bahia state government issued a statement saying that IBAMA the federal environmental protection agency made licence approval conditional upon “carrying out 39 environmental programmes on fauna and terrestrial and aquatic environments.” it is not clear exactly how these programmes will reduce the impacts on the cocoa and fishing economies in the region Socorro Mendonça has identified what she believes to be a fundamental flaw in the plan; working life of the Caetité mine BAMIN itself estimates that the Sertão operation will last around 20 years based on production of 20 million tonnes per year “Cocoa has been cultivated for centuries and artisanal fishing is thousands of years old The region has the potential to develop scientific and community-based tourism But the priority is a project with an end date,” Mendonça says A boy from a traditional cacao farm near Lagoa Encantada (image: Rui Rocha) There are suggestions that use by agribusiness could revive Porto Sul president of the Bahia Association of Soya and Corn Producers (APROSOJA-BA) this will only occur when – and if – the railroad reaches the west of the state “It doesn’t work for us,” Juliani says it’s better for trucks to go to (the port of) Aratu because then they can return with manure and fertiliser.” it could be useful for lowering shipping costs noting the proposed next stretch planned for FIOL The Port of Aratu is near Salvador and handles most of the cargo in Bahia which leaves from Minas Gerais and comes within just over 100 kilometres from Caetité I’m not going to stand in front of the equipment Critics have questioned the need for FIOL to connect to Ilhéus since it could connect to FCA to bring the ore to Aratu and eliminate the need for a new port the government has consistently argued that the FCA is obsolete Aratu cannot accommodate vessels loaded with iron ore a study commissioned by railroad concessionaire VLI estimates that 500 million Reais (US$116million) of investment in the rail network would be sufficient to enable materials to be shipped from Caetité The government has not explained its reasons for investing in the port it issued a note affirming a general interest in developing the south of Bahia state: “The design studies and environmental analyses always demonstrated the need to develop the economy in Bahia and decentralise the greater Salvador metro region.” the plans keep moving forward and despite the conflict between the government and activists There is little chance the government will make concessions on environmental grounds or to traditional communities and the environment the state-owned company responsible for constructing railroads has scheduled bidding to conclude the stretch of FIOL from Caetité to Ilhéus This could bring the total cost of the project to R$3.4 billion (US$790 million) the Bahia state government and BAMIN signed an agreement to jointly operate the terminal once complete The port will be capable of processing 41.5 million tonnes of iron ore per year and the city of Ilhéus signed a ‘Socio-Environmental Agreement’ It states that BAMIN will contribute 45 million Reais (US$10 million) to fund measures to prevent avoidable environmental damage and mitigate unavoidable impacts in the region around Porto Sul Measures will include supporting existing conservation units and improving regional environmental monitoring and control systems through high-tech satellite imagery and real-time alerts when vegetation is cleared Without saying how many farms will be expropriated the Bahia state government only said that the process is underway Nor has there been a precise survey of how many fishers will be impacted by the project “I’m not going to stand in front of the equipment but we will be watching closely,” said Maria do Socorro Mendonça but rather to say yes to a sustainable southern Bahia.” BAMIN did not respond to Diálogo Chino’s requests for comment for this article Victor Uchôa is a freelance journalist based in Salvador Select from our bespoke newsletters for news best suited to you We’ve sent you an email with a confirmation link 我们向您的邮箱发送了一封确认邮件，请点击邮件中的确认链接。如果您未收到该邮件，请查看垃圾邮件。 If you would like more information about the terms of our republication policy or permission to use content, please write to us: [email protected] We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Pontal Energy will operate a large portfolio of renewable energy assets managing around 1 GW of renewable capacity enough to power 750 000 homes in the region This includes three operational onshore wind projects: the 0.1 GW Caetité project and the 0.2 GW Serra da Babilônia 3 project 0.2 GW in construction Caetité Norte onshore wind project 0.3 GW of onshore wind and solar pipeline projects DSI has established a management team for Pontal Energy Gustavo brings over 18 years of experience in Brazilian infrastructure and power markets and was previously CEO and Board Member of Ibitu Energia He has overseen the development of more than 6 GW of power projects in the region DSI will have close oversight at the board level including board representation from Brazilian energy market experts Long-standing Rio Energy Chairperson Ana Marta Veloso will continue as Chair for Pontal DSI’s investment and support helped to grow Rio Energy into a key renewable energy platform for Brazil creating a substantial portfolio of onshore wind projects and an attractive pipeline of onshore wind and solar developments The launch of Pontal Energy marks a continuation of Denham’s support for Brazil’s rapid energy transition The country is leading the way in renewables development generating nearly 90% of its electricity from clean sources in 2022 “The launch of Pontal Energy is a testament to Denham Sustainable Infrastructure’s commitment to Brazil’s clean energy sector With the support of our trusted regional experts and the appointment of Gustavo Ribeiro as CEO we are looking forward to further supporting the development of renewable energy in the region,” said Sarah Lane The Autumn 2023 issue of Energy Global hosts an array of technical articles focusing on green hydrogen This issue also features a regional report looking at some key renewables projects in Australia. Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/other-renewables/09112023/denham-capital-establishes-renewable-platform-in-brazil/ Q ENERGY has begun building a 96 MWp photovoltaics project in Spain scheduled for completion at the end of 2026 Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below): Already a member? Sign in here the game-changing FIOL railway will connect mines in Bahia to Brazil’s Atlantic ports drastically improving logistics and lowering costs Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the inaugural ceremony of the FIOL railway the first section of which will be ready in 36 months and span the 537 kilometres Subsequent phases will connect Caetité to Barreiras linking the mines of Bahia to Brazil’s Atlantic coast [See more: CNOOC steps up oil production off the coast of Brazil] A total of 1.5 billion reais in investment has been financed by the Brazilian mining company Bahia Mineraçao The FIOL railway (named for the Portuguese initials of Ferrovia de Integração Oeste Leste) is part of a wider project to link eastern western and central-western regions to the country’s north-south rail network the scheme will make it ship goods from the Brazilian heartland to ports on the northern and Eastern coasts greatly improving logistics and reducing costs Brazilian fuel cycle company Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil has announced it is to resume exploration for uranium in the country after a 40-year hiatus INB has launched the Uranium Prospecting and Mining Partnership Programme seeking to work in partnership with companies in the mining sector It said new research will be carried out in areas known for their "great mineral potential for this valuable substance" INB President Adauto Seixas said: "This new round of research comes at an important time for the country since national production is still lower than the domestic consumption of the Angra I and II nuclear plants and taking into account the increase in demand with the completion of Angra III." INB noted that the price of uranium has more than tripled in recent years "bringing an avenue of opportunities for growth in the sector in the form of exporting concentrated uranium and also with the possibility of offering nuclear fuel to the international market adding value to the local production chain" The company added: "According to a study conducted 40 years ago Brazil had the eighth largest reserve in the world it is possible that the country could eventually take second place." exploration in the 1970s and 1980s showed that Brazil has reasonably assured resources of 210,000 tonnes of uranium there has been little investment in exploration since the mid-1980s The country's three main deposits are: Pocos de Caldas in Minas Gerais state where a uranium mine closed in 1997; Lagoa Real or Caetité in Bahia state which has been operating since 1999; and Itataia where the production of uranium as a co-product with phosphate is planned but the only operating mine is INB's Lagoa Real/Caetité mine The mine has known resources of 10,000 tU at 0.3%U INB commenced developing the adjacent Engenho mine in January 2017 Production was initially planned from October 2017 the country's energy minister reported that investment in INB would allow it to produce 150 tU annually from Caetité The Santa Quitéria Consortium - a partnership between INB and privately owned fertiliser producer Galvani - expects to produce 2,300 tons of uranium concentrate annually from the Itataia deposit after conversion and most enrichment abroad The country's uranium requirements are currently about 339 tU per year INB signed a contract with Russia's Rosatom for the supply of 330 tU in the form of natural UF6 for the Angra nuclear power plant from 2023 to 2027 three contracts were signed with Westinghouse to cover the supply of advanced fuel assemblies for Angra 1 reloads A mina do Engenho fica em região onde se integram as bacias hidrográficas do Rio de Contas e do Rio São Francisco - Brasil de Fato com imagem de Acervo INB these issues were not mentioned at the event.  including the minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque; Caetité’s mayor Valtércio Aguiar (Democratic Labor Party); and the president of the state-owned company Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB After a black woman – representative of INB employees – speak The event made the first day of December 2020 the date on which uranium extraction was resumed in the country, as part of a federal government's billion-dollar investment plan in nuclear energy intending to build eight new plant facilities by 2050 with public-private partnerships.  "This resumption represents President Bolsonaro's firm commitment to transforming national resources into wealth," said minister Bento Albuquerque The region where the minister's feet were trampled and whose natural resources are of interest to the federal government includes the cities of Caetité Lagoa Real and Livramento de Nossa Senhora The communities there – including 15 quilombola communities among others – know very well what mining means in the region.  in Portuguese) has already carried out the extraction and processing of ore in that region between 2000 and 2015 now in a new area – the Engenho Mine – takes place after only five years of interruption.  The mineral extracted in Caetité (at the INB unit which occupies 1,700 hectares) is used as fuel for the nuclear plant facilities in Angra dos Reis (Rio de Janeiro state) With the world’s sixth largest uranium reserve Brazil discovered uranium anomalies in the 1970s some areas of the Serra Geral region which integrates the hydrographic basins of the Contas River and the São Francisco River.  In an interview to the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Association announced that the goal is to produce 800 tons of uranium concentration per year in Caetité by 2027.  "will have a life of 16 years": "Obviously from the Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining the Bolsonaro government's decision to prioritize this energy model has "the leading role of conservative sectors of the Armed Forces which historically keep the Brazilian nuclear project in a black box and align to the US strategic interests in the context of geopolitical disputes with China".  and expectations designed by the federal government for its future – an accurate portrait of what it is like a practical and territorial implementation of the National Energy Plan 2050.  INB's activities mark the region's history by generating jobs accusations of leaks of radioactive material and lack of transparency are accumulating.  Among the more than ten accidents involving the overflow of uranium liquor and fuel oil from INB's facilities in Caetité there is one that stands out: a few months after the opening of the Cachoeira Mine five million liters of uranium flowed into the environment.  According to the Mission Caetité Report from the Dhesca Brazil Platform but the population and inspection bodies were not informed It was confirmed only with a procedure from the Federal Public Ministry six months later the mine's Installation License was suspended until July of the following year.  Another remarkable episode happened on October 28 Lucas Mendonça is an INB worker and was there a cell of solvent charged with a high concentration of uranium leaked into the rainwater system "I helped to try to contain this material" who is also a member of Sindmine (Union of Miners of the city of Brumado and Microregion).  "The coordinator then tells reporters that the material that fell was contained in a hole He also said that 500 liters had leaked" It was 40,000 liters of radioactive material leaked and around 30,000 into the environment" Lucas arrived at the company and found it strange that his supervisor tried to direct him to a different sector from where he used to work "And then I found out that there had been a huge fuel leak I picked up the radio and called the last sector We stopped the company's activities," he says.  Mendonça was informed that he had been transferred to another sector "I was isolated from all the other workers The company is charging me 400,000 reais in court because of production losses I was out of the company for two years with no salary" an outsourced worker who carried out night surveillance at INB dozed off and fell into a basin with a radioactive liquid composed of uranium and other products used in the ore processing system He survived and is still working at the company.  a worker unblocked a uranium precipitation reactor tube with a rod He took a shower of highly radioactive material from head to toe According to the Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining INB accumulates about 1,200 labor suits in the Labor Court.   who informed that they follow the 1989 Environmental Monitoring Program and that "comparing the data between periods" no alterations were detected "in the levels of chemical and radioactive substances found naturally in the region".  “Any unusual event that happens at the Unit is reported to licensing bodies (CNEN and Ibama) and the appropriate security and control measures are taken" The company also said that the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN, in Portuguese) "has an office within the facility for the agency's resident inspector to work, which demonstrates INB's transparency in these situations." CNEN, a federal agency, is INB's main shareholder: it holds 99.9968% of its shares.  due to complaints made by Sindmine to the Office of the Comptroller General (CGU civil servants in important positions at INB were dismissed due to corruption was the then Superintendent of Engineering and Quality The union denounced that those purchases were being made on behalf of INB for private purposes such as the paving of the street where the superintendent himself was living.  Lucas Mendonça received death threats and until the beginning of the Bolsonaro government he was in the Program for the Protection of Threatened Victims and Witnesses "I went through complicated situations There was a period when I couldn't go out on the street," he explains.  the cancer rate among the population of Caetité – which has 51,000 inhabitants – is much higher a hospital specialized in oncology was opened in the city.  working in partnership with the French Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity carried out an extensive study on the risks of environmental and human contamination related to uranium exploration in the region women in Caetité die 6.27 times more from lung cancer than in other parts of Bahia Deaths of men under 50 due to gastrointestinal cancer rose 19 times higher than in other parts of the state.  The ethnographic part of the research found that there is a great "lack of knowledge about the risks of ionizing radiation" a result of "the lack of information from the mining company".  The study also analyzed water from 19 wells for human consumption in the communities surrounding the INB: 26.6% had uranium levels above the maximum value allowed by the National Environment Council.  "The communities of Caetité and Lagoa Real continue to consume contaminated water The State must take care of the population's health and its omission involves loss of lives" it is necessary to consider that there are at least 38 uranium anomalies in the region There's radiation in the ground," he argues so the stones in the streets and houses likely have radon "Did the company come and make the problem worse liberates radiation – radon cloud and radioactive material go outside The soil where the plant facility is located is completely contaminated by leakage "But we have a problem that is not just the company's problem  "May this nuclear program not be made viable"   from the Environmentalist Group of Bahia (Gamba) believes that with the current water crisis in Brazil the resumption of the Brazilian nuclear plan could gain more strength the problems in Caetité are "surreal".  Despite the Bolsonaro government placing "more emphasis" on nuclear energy production Renato sees the continuity of previous governments' activities In addition to the resumption of mining in Caetité the novelty lies in the government's intention to establish nuclear public-private companies.  “We are part of the Brazilian Anti-Nuclear Articulation We are in this movement so that this nuclear program does not become viable" "We work to prevent them from continuing the exploration in Caetité the building of plants on the banks of the São Francisco River and the conclusion of Angra 3" All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced provided it is not altered and proper credit is given All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil has signed a contract with Russia's Internexco for the temporary export for conversion and enrichment of 275,000 kilograms of uranium concentrate (U3O8) produced at the Uranium Concentration Unit in Caetité An international tender was held for the contract with the lowest price being the judgement criteria subject to technical prerequisites being met with Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) planning to increase the frequency of such contracts through international tenders INB said: "Conversion is the only stage of the nuclear fuel cycle that INB does not perform and consists of transforming yellowcake into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) a compound that has the property of transforming into a gaseous state at low temperatures The enrichment stage is performed in the gas form INB's Enrichment Plant is being implemented in stages at the Nuclear Fuel Factory in Resende with an annual installed capacity to meet approximately 70% of the need for enriched uranium required to recharge Angra 1." INB added: "The final processed product will be returned in the form of UF6 (uranium hexafluoride) enriched to 4.25% and will be used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel which supplies the Angra dos Reis nuclear power plant." It has the goal of becoming self-sufficient in fuel for its nuclear power plant Uranium-235 (U-235) is the main fissile isotope of uranium and occurs at a concentration of about 0.7% in natural uranium Standard fuel used in today's operating light water reactors uses low-enriched uranium (LEU) with enrichment levels up to about 4.8% U-235 INB announced last year it was to resume exploration for uranium in the country after a 40-year hiatus. According to World Nuclear Association the company claims it has now offset its entire carbon legacy Getting the shipping industry to reduce its environmental impact presents a huge challenge a number of collaborative initiatives have been launched in the hope of creating a greener future The island of Nurai in Abu Dhabi has recently installed a floating solar power plant that is set to have a capacity of 80 kilowatts Governments within the developed world must re-evaluate their current economic systems in order to drastically cut carbon emissions at the source For renewable energy company Renova Energia the future lies in Brazil’s Northeast Region Renova Energia sees northeast Brazil as “A place with a huge potential for growth” “A place with a huge potential for growth” – that’s how renewable energy company Renova Energia sees the Brazilian Northeast Region The area is home to more than 27 percent of the country’s inhabitants: most of them customers who will improve their social positions across their lifetimes The wind and sun are abundant resources in the region and thus have considerable potential for growth as part of the country’s energy matrix Renova – a 100 percent Brazilian-based company and a leader in the eolic energy sector – has discovered in Bahia’s semi-arid climate what could be called a ‘deposit’ of winds are going to be one of the key drivers for the company’s expansion when the company first arrived in the Northeast Region Renova has been committed to developing the communities around its projects in the cities of Caetité The company’s managerial model is based on the continuous growth of the group’s businesses in adding value to all stakeholders involved and in a transverse approach to sustainability Renova understood that dialogue with people from these communities would be a key issue in building a good relationship The company created an organisational structure with specific teams dedicated to assessing the requests and needs of local people Those communities are primarily made up of families who make a living from subsistence and small-scale agricultural activities and groups whose income is dependent on social programmes from the national government Renova decided land leasehold was the most appropriate way to contribute to regional development instead of just acquiring land on which to install its windmills the company pays a type of rent to small landholders Sustainability and Communications Director at Renova Energia says: “Over 300 families benefit from the leasing policy earning new income from the rent while continuing to receive the gains they get from plantation or husbandry when the company first arrived in the region annual income per capita had reached about BRL3,000 some landholders with areas leased by the company had annual incomes of more than BRL8,000 since operations began in Bahia’s semi-arid region 135,000 inhabitants have enjoyed indirect benefits from the windmills Another benefit brought to the region by Renova was the legalisation of much of the leased land Many of the landowners had been living in the region for years but had never before held deeds or ownership documents for their property “It works this way in all areas of the company from the enhancement of engineering processes to the conceiving of social programmes and tightening the relationship with the community.” The company’s listing on the São Paulo Stock Exchange helped settle its governance model Renova detailed all managerial routines in its Sustainability Report the first edition of the which was released in 2012 with the outcomes and achievements of 2011 The idea is to show how the issue crosses all areas and processes including the company’s relations with employees has announced it will build a new unit to produce wind turbine blades in the region Renova developed its projects in the region has a nominal capacity of 294.4MW and was commissioned in July 2012 could be commissioned in the next few months The successful commissioning of both complexes was the result of competent planning and coordination of logistics and installation – all while maintaining sustainable standards in every stage of implementation Renova is also prepared to develop solar power projects in the semi-arid region The company’s expansion plans are based on the corporative strategy of developing building and operating energy projects with financial discipline keeping an eye on customers’ needs and respecting employees as well as maintaining harmonious relations with the environment and communities This is a mandatory objective for the company to be accomplished by promoting transparency in negotiations and dialogue The company has invested in solar energy R&D with an entire team dedicated to researching ways of generating electricity from solar panels Research has already found that solar irradiation in Bahia’s semi-arid region offers some of the most favourable conditions in the country – so the company is competitive for solar Renova commissioned its first solar power plant at Yamana Gold’s facilities in the Pilar de Goiás municipality Many more on-going projects will be commissioned in the next few months People in the communities propose the projects so they are legitimised by coming from the longings and vocations of each community The programme is not an obligation: it is Renova’s own initiative The company decided to develop the programme because it believed in the benefits of getting involved with local communities The programme was forecast to have received BRL9.4m (approximately £2.5m) in investments by the beginning of 2014 Iraci Rodrigues de Oliveira is a member of the Caetité Women’s Movement which produces jams and marmalades from local fruits She says the initiative has helped generate income and jobs in her city: “It’s another [source] of income that we now have.” The Lagoa de Dentro Association in Caetité is another initiative receiving support from the Catavento Programme manioc starch cookies (manioc is a tuberous root and a staple in the Northeast region of Brazil) The women in the municipality of Lagoa de Dentro were recently able to sign a contract with the local city hall to provide around 400 kilos of biscuits for public school lunches The initiative should guarantee a monthly income of BRL6,400 (£1,670) to its participants and the profits will be distributed among people and re-invested in the project All the Catavento Programme’s initiatives aim to mobilise local sectors This network of cooperation was what made the establishment of the Bahia’s Alto Sertão Museum feasible historian and heir to the building that will hold the museum and he used to say we needed to preserve the house because it was part of the historical heritage.” The family hopes the building will be preserved and eventually fulfil an important sociocultural purpose The idea for the museum came from the need to preserve the artefacts found in and around the region’s parks and contributed significantly to the protection of the existing collection (made up of around 30,000 pieces) The Catavento Programme is also involved in a number of environmental projects including one to preserve hydric resources The initiative helps around 300 families from the areas influenced by the Renova wind farms – a semi-arid region affected by water shortages structures are isolated against earthquakes springs are preserved and locals educated about the environment water storage capacity was increased by 30 percent improving the circumstances of around 150 families Gutmann says: “The big question is not just recovering but investing in environmental education so that the public has an understanding of the sustainable use of a scarce resource in the semi-arid.” The company looks to promote what it describes as “social dialogue” in order to develop a relationship with the locals This will enable better identification of suitable socio-environmental mechanisms for the region The Catavento Program also supported the creation of community centres for professional enablement These help prepare local residents not only for the professional jobs market Preserving the environmentRenova Energia’s management policy goes beyond the requirements of environmental legislation: a concern for the environment informs all processes within the company All environmental licenses are obtained before the start of any construction project BRL12.7m (approximately £3.3m) was invested in environmental management says: “We have made our workers aware of the importance of preservation through internal training and security dialogues.” Subjects covered include environmental risks Renova demands details of its environmental management and that the provider complies with Renova’s own internal procedures Deep impact operations – such as vegetation suppression and managing the damage caused by the transportation of equipment and materials – are closely monitored to ensure the negative impact is as small as possible means the removal of fewer native plants and a much less aggressive intervention in the environment Renova also has best-practice guidelines for the handling of by-products generated by its activities There are certain procedures to be carried out in the case of accidents Everything is done to ensure materials are not wasted and by-products eliminated Water usage is also monitored constantly: both spring water and the water collected in legislation-approved wells Any defalcation is detected and immediately corrected In areas where endangered or vulnerable species are detected Renova has never received any type of notification due to non-compliance with environmental requirements 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English The following couples applied for marriage licenses as reported by the Polk County Recorder’s Office during the month of August A consortium of Chinese companies has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazil state of Bahia and Bahia Mineração (Bamin) a Brazilian subsidiary of Eurasian Resources Group to develop a $2.4bn integrated mining and logistics project in Brazil The project includes Bamin’s Pedra de Ferro iron-ore mine the Porto Sul deep-water port and the associated Fiol railway which will link the landlocked state of Tocantins to the coast of Bahia The Chinese consortium is comprised of leading infrastructure and machinery companies and includes China Railway Group China Communications Construction Company and Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group the MOU sets out the intention of the consortium to jointly participate with Bamin in the ownership and development of the integrated mine rail and port project and to arrange its financing The Pedra de Ferro mine will develop high grade large-scale iron ore reserves located near the city of Caetité the Pedra de Ferro mine will supply up to 20mt of high quality iron ore to global markets annually Porto Sul will be a deep-water port located north of the city of Ilhéus It will be capable of handling up to capesize vessels and will be the export point for Bamin’s iron ore They should be bright yellow so they are visible in the ocea.. 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Suscribe x MercoPress, en Español Montevideo, May 6th 2025 - 10:07 UTC Dow Jones reported that Indian-owned UK based Zamin Resources has one major iron ore project under way in Brazil and is keen on developing others in the country and neighboring Uruguay Zamin owns 50% of Bamin a joint venture with Kazakhstan Eurasian Natural Resources Corp that is developing a mine at Caetite in Bahia state in the Brazilian northeast The mine will start operations in September 2012 and produce up to 25 million tons a year of iron ore concentrate Iron ore reserves in the area are estimated at 2.5 billion tons Pramod Agarwal CEO of Zamin said the company is also in the early stages of prospecting a 6 million ton per year iron ore project called Greystone to the south of the Caetite mine Zamin is developing another iron ore project slap bang in the middle of neighboring Uruguay near the town of Valentines Mr Agarwal said ”Although the ore quality is low grade it is easier to process into concentrate” He anticipated that he will be present Friday alongside Brazilian President Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the laying of a foundation stone marking the beginning of work on Brazil West-East Railroad a critical link in developing the Caetite reserve being developed by Valec Engenharia an engineering company controlled by the Brazilian Ministry of Transport has enough ring-fenced funding around BRL 1.7 billion to cover expenditure for at least the section of interest to Bamin Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page BRAZIL plans restarting uranium mining in 2019 for the first time in five years the mines and energy minister told a newspaper in an interview published on Monday Operations will begin this year at a mine in the city of Caetite in the north-eastern state of Bahia minister Bento Albuquerque told Estado de S Paulo newspaper State-owned nuclear firm INB had halted mining in Caetite in 2014 after one cache of uranium ran out but at the time it was not licenced to begin operations at another mine nearby A spokesman for nuclear regulator Cnen said it had issued a licence for the Caetite mine in April this year uranium exploration can only be carried out by INB although Albuquerque has previously stated that the government aimed to allow exploration partnerships with private investors in future The minister reiterated that goal in his comments to Estado Brazil has the 7th largest uranium reserves in the world and only a third of the country has been explored South Korea and Russia have already expressed interest in uranium mining in Brazil Albuquerque told Estado that he wanted to break the government’s monopoly in uranium exploration and in running nuclear power plants although he said this would require a constitutional change to be voted on in Congress copyright in the content of this website vest in The Free Press of Namibia (Proprietary) Limited (Registration No 85/058) The unauthorized making of copies or use of this material constitutes a copyright infringment under the Namibian Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Protection Act Powered by PageSuite © 2025 The Namibian This site asks for consent to use your data We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns