Support non-profit journalism and perspectives from around the world The Lingua project at Global Voices works to bring down barriers to understanding through translation Pirapora do Bom Jesus is a religious site and has 18,000 residents This story was written by Sarah Fernandes, Jacqueline Maria da Silva and Arthur Ferreira and was originally published on June 4, 2024, on the Agência Mural website An edited version is republished on Global Voices under a partnership agreement In Pirapora do Bom Jesus, São Paulo state, information is mainly shared by word-of-mouth. Cars with loudspeakers, WhatsApp groups, the local authorities’ website, social media accounts, and church announcements are the means by which news and announcements are spread to the 18.370 residents, according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) Imagine living in a town without access to reliable information about public administration How would you know where public money is going or what mayors and councillors are doing A place is called a news desert when it lacks independent local journalism which follows and monitors life in the city — essential features of the press in a democracy one of the poorest municipalities in the metropolitan region of São Paulo Agência Mural's team spent five days there to understand how information gets around in a place like that “It's hard to stay informed because the town doesn't have its own newspaper If you don’t attend church or the sessions of the City Council We only have access to information through the church and the City Hall,” said Antonio Juarez de Oliveira Pirapora do Bom Jesus was founded after reports of miracles; it became a religious destination and has a historical and cultural heritage. In 1725, an image of Bom Jesus was found in a river in the region by two enslaved people. This became a local patron saint, but the municipality would only become an independent entity in 1959 the city still faces socio-economic challenges with a low rate of formal employment and its sanctuaries in need of restoration In addition to informal sources of information contact channels with councillors serve as a means for complaints and investigations There is only one woman among the nine councillors on the City Council In opposition to Mayor Dany Wilian Floresti (PSD) are Helton Bananinha (Republicans) Elias Araújo (Republicans) and Roge Baudichon (Union) pre-candidate for vice mayor in the 2024 elections and known as the “inspector of the people.” With his “mobile cabinet,” he travels around the city recording videos denouncing the lack of medicine and problems with sanitation and medical care as well as publicizing his own social activities Councillors of Pirapora do Bom Jesus City Council “We hear everything in the town from the mouth of a councillor We don't get news that isn't from a politician,” lamented Jeanderson Gomes dos Santos a construction worker and resident of the Parque Payol neighborhood This annoys a large part of the population Designer and resident Mário Rodrigues said “I notice that in neighboring cities people have a more active voice to charge public management; I think because they have more access to information.” Dubes Sônego, a researcher with the Atlas points out that when people live in an information desert they start to give up on searching for “factual truth” and opt for trusting what they see on social media “You don't have a source of journalistic information distinguishing between what is fact and what is opinion and this weakens the town and favors the spread of fake news,” he explained When one asks about journalism in Pirapora, one of the outlets people mention is Radio Pirapora FM By law, as explained by Agert (Association of Radio and TV Broadcasters from Rio Grande do Sul) this type of service can only be run by “non-profit community associations and foundations based in the locality.” The radios “must have a pluralistic program and must be open to the voices of all the residents in the region served.” the local broadcaster seems to lack impartiality and is under the name of an association chaired by the mother of a former mayor He is Gregório Maglio (MDB), a politician who intends to run for the position again this year. Maglio has a radio show on which he interviews allies who intend to run for public office. Despite this, he claims that the show is a chat about the day-to-day life of the city face more difficulties in getting information than those in other neighborhoods to confirm information about vaccination campaigns or extracurricular activities for children Public transport is limited to intercity bus lines The neighborhood has a busy local commerce and also sees the main socio-economic problems “My daughter took part in Projovem (National Youth Inclusion Program) and is now in Portugal,” explained Maria de Fátima a resident of the central neighborhood area lamented: “My son did not enroll in the program because the spots ran out before I knew they were available.” This discrepancy in access to information is no exception in a news desert. There are also other difficulties. The government has an obligation to ensure transparency, in accordance with the Access to Information Act both the transparency portal of the City Hall and the City Council have shortcomings Up to the publication of this article, the most recent financial statements and fiscal management reports available were from 2022, and the last balance sheet for the executive available for public consultation on the website was from 2018 Pirapora's history has been influenced by journalism a São Paulo newspaper reported on the image of Bom Jesus found there and that it performed miracles transforming the town into one of the state's main religious sites This attracted crowds and turned the city into a meeting point for samba communities, jongo (African dance) and drumming, giving the area the status of the cradle of Paulista samba “It is the reason that this place exists and stopped being a farm which was acquired by Santana de Parnaíba city to become the town we have today,” said Father Marcelo Magalhães the rector of the sanctuary of Senhor Do Bom Jesus De Pirapora Since the 1980s, tourism has decreased. Currently, only 15.52 percent of residents have formal employment. The sanctuary's administration works to raise funds and restore the site and its works of art. The newspaper O Anhanguera “It is up to us to follow councillors to know about the city's problems and what is being done Local authorities do not inform us about everything that happens,” complained Jeanderson Gomes dos Santos a professor at ECA-USP (School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo) explained that journalism can be a step towards resolving problems It is just a social institution that contributes to mediating public debate and checking power,” he said “If journalism provides quality information ERROR: SECURITY TIMEOUT - Please copy your message to a backup location Global Voices stands out as one of the earliest and strongest examples of how media committed to building community and defending human rights can positively influence how people experience events happening beyond their own communities and national borders Please consider making a donation to help us continue this work Donate now Authors, please log in » Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Stay up to date about Global Voices and our mission. 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Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Canadian Solar and EDF will maintain a stake of 30% and 20% The value of the transaction is estimated at BRL 1.1 billion (US$283.6 million) Canadian Solar's 191.5 MW Pirapora I Solar project in Minas Gerais has acquired a 50% interest in the Pirapora solar complex in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais The company said it will invest around BRL 1.1 billion ($283.6 million) in the transaction EDF and Chinese-Canadian solar module maker Canadian Solar will maintain a stake of 30% and 20% “Pirapora will be Omega's first solar investment and solar energy will account for 25% of the company's installed capacity while wind and hydroelectric power will represent 62% and 13% respectively,” Omega said in its statement The Pirapora complex is set to have a combined capacity of 321 MW. Of this capacity, 284 MW, respresented by the Pirapora I and III projects, was connected to the grid at the end of 2017 EDF acquired an 80% interest in both Pirapora plants from Canadian solar as well as in the remaining Pirapora II project All three of the plants will rely on solar modules provided by Canadian Solar which also owns and operates a 380 MW PV module factory near Sao Paulo The company was able to secure a huge number of projects with a combined capacity of more than 800 MW in Brazil’s renewable energy auctions in which around 4 GW of solar projects were awarded Solar projects that use locally manufactured PV components can gain access to the financing of the Brazilian development bank, BNDES. The Pirapora project was the first project to recive a BRL 529 million ($168.4 million) loan in May of 2017 More articles from Emiliano Bellini Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close The 239MW Lar do Sol - Casablanca II solar project is being developed in Pirapora by Atlas Renewable Energy The 239MW Lar do Sol – Casablanca II solar photovoltaic power plant is being built in Pirapora in the State of Minas Gerais The project is being developed and built by Atlas Renewable Energy (Atlas) which is part of private equity investor Actis’ Energy Fund IV The company will operate the solar plant once it is complete The project is estimated to generate enough electricity for the needs of 261,662 Brazilian households and offset carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of about 40,500t a year It is expected to generate 1,200 new local jobs during peak construction with at least 15% of the workforce being female The plant will generate 540GWh a year and is currently under development. It will expand Atlas’ footprint in Brazil, where the company currently has eight solar plants either in the construction or operational stages The company plans to add an additional 4GW to its energy projects portfolio in the coming years the Lar do Sol – Casablanca II project will be installed with 460,000 solar panels The project will incorporate bi-facial solar modules which allow light to enter from both the front and back sides of the panel thereby capturing more sunlight and enhancing the solar plant’s production The construction of the project is supported by a loan of R$407m ($76m) which Atlas secured from Banco do Nordeste do Brasil’s (BNB) Northeastern Constitutional Financing Fund in February 2022 BNB is a Brazilian regional development bank Atlas and Unipar signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) in July 2021 The clean energy produced from the project will be supplied to two of Unipar’s factories in Brazil It will also support chlorine production for the treatment of water to serve more than 60 million people The solar modules will be provided by Golden Concord Group (GCL), Chint and Jinko Atlas is also developing the 358MW Lar do Sol – Casablanca I plant in the same area The plant is expected to offset 61,500t of CO₂ It will comprise 676,000 bifacial modules, a 34.5/345kV booster substation, two 330MVA transformers and a transmission line to the Pirapora II sub-station where the plant will be connected to the electrical grid It is expected to create 800 direct jobs and generate clean energy equivalent to the electricity needs of 1.4 million households in Brazil The project is supported by a 15-year power purchase agreement with Anglo American a multi-national mining company based in London The generated power will be supplied to the Brazilian subsidiaries of Anglo American The project received financing worth $150m from IDB Invest a development finance company for Latin America and the Caribbean IDB Invest sourced $80m from its own funds and mobilised $60m from DNB Bank a financial services company based in Norway The remaining $10m was secured from the Climate Fund Canada for the Private Sector of the Americas – Phase II (C2FII) and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Atlas was advised by the law firm White & Case on the financing for the project Spain-based Elecnor was chosen for the engineering services and commissioning of the solar project in May 2021 Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network. 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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience a building materials and sustainable solutions company has signed a financing agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets and a member of the World Bank Group Votorantim Cimentos is the first Brazilian cement company to sign with IFC a contract linked to sustainability indicators The US$ 150 million investment will be allocated to the Salto de Pirapora plant to increase its thermal substitution rate and reduce its CO2 emissions The project is part of the company’s long-term sustainability strategy and is expected to be completed by 2028 is linked to sustainability commitments and specifies that the financial cost for the company may decrease depending on the achievement of Votorantim Cimentos’ CO2 reduction target as approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) IFC will provide technical advisory to other projects that are part of the company’s decarbonization journey more than 30% of the fuels used by the Salto de Pirapora plant are considered alternative fuels (biomass The implementation of this project is expected to double the site’s capacity to use alternative fuel “This project is an important step in our decarbonization journey and is in line with Votorantim Cimentos’ 2030 Sustainability Commitments We are excited to not only sign this financing agreement with an institution like IFC which has climate change as one of its priorities but also to establish a partnership for initiatives in our sustainability agenda,” said Álvaro Lorenz global director of Sustainability at Votorantim Cimentos the project illustrates the need for alignment between the finance and sustainability areas of companies in addition to the importance of maintaining relationships with multilateral agencies “The decarbonization agenda is one of the biggest challenges for the coming years Being able to benefit from competitive and long-term loans through partnerships with institutions such as IFC will be essential to enable new projects,” said Nasser “the cement industry is a fundamental part of the future development and urbanization of developing countries and IFC’s investment in Votorantim Cimentos represents an important steppingstone in the process of improving greener supply capacity in the cement sector paving the way to attracting more investment and further developing Brazil’s infrastructure” Decarbonization journey – Votorantim Cimentos’ 2030 decarbonization target is to reach 475 kg of CO2 per tonne of cement which represents a 24.8% reduction in emissions compared to the base year 2018 Votorantim Cimentos reduced its global CO2 emissions per tonne of cement by 24% the company’s global emissions totaled 579 kg of CO2 per tonne of cement produced One of the primary contributors to this result is co-processing a technology that replaces fossil fuel with other materials 31.3% of the fuel used by Votorantim Cimentos plants was from alternative sources the company’s Brazilian operations used 1.3 million tonnes of waste and biomass—a 20% growth compared to 2021 Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/21072023/votorantim-cimentos-and-ifc-sign-a-us150-million-financing-agreement/ In the latest episode of the World Cement Podcast Senior Editor David Bizley is joined by Dr Andrew Minson of the GCCA to discuss the ins and outs of the recently launched Low Carbon Ratings (LCR) system Listen for free today » Backed by Clean Energy Ventures and Buzzi Unicem USA Queens Carbon will leverage funding to scale its energy-efficient cement production platform Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below): Already a member? Sign in here Listen to the latest episode of the World Cement Podcast Listen now! Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos grew its revenue and earnings in 2024 but its net income dropped significantly due to interest rate volatility It noted ‘positive performance’ in its Europe and Asia region and a stable market in Brazil It attributed its mounting earnings to its balanced portfolio The group’s net revenue grew by 3% year-on-year to US$4.69bn in 2024 from US$4.53bn in 2023 revenue fell slightly in local currencies due to negative exchange effects Cement sales volumes rose by 1% to 35.4Mt from 34.9Mt depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 16% to US$1.14bn from US$0.99bn Earnings rose in all regions except for Latin America due to a ‘challenging’ market in Uruguay and lower prices in Bolivia its adjusted net income dropped by 17% to US$383m from US$461m “We ended the year with record-high operating results in line with our strategic mandate,” said Osvaldo Ayres The company invested over US$550m in 2024 towards decarbonisation A further US$880m investment plan in Brazil to 2028 was announced in early 2024 Ongoing projects include upgrades supporting higher thermal substitution rates at the Xambioá plant in Tocantins state and the Salto de Pirapora plant in São Paulo A new 1Mt/yr cement grinding unit is being built at the Salto de Pirapora site Construction of this project is scheduled for completion in the second-half of 2025 A new 1Mt/yr cement grinding unit was also announced at the Edealina plant in Goiás This project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026 Votorantim also revealed that it paid around US$190m to the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) at the end of 2024 in connection with an agreement to end all administrative and judicial litigation It said “We definitively resolved all pending disputes with CADE having committed any unlawful act or engaged in any anticompetitive behaviour.” Bnamericas Published: Thursday, April 03, 2025 Change in Ownership Tin 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 As a wholly owned EDF subsidiary and a leading player in solar energy in France and internationally EDF Renewables has a global perspective of the technical legal and financial challenges of each project it draws on the expertise of internal specialists in each field (mapping The Pirapora complex in Brazil is the most powerful solar power station in Latin America an example of the expertise developed by EDF's international subsidiary will provide 420,000 Brazilian households with electricity Today's technology enables 95% of solar panels to be recycled EDF Renewables provides funds for the recycling of solar panels Conducting an environmental impact study serves to define the measures necessary to preserve the biodiversity of the sites such as the protection of certain sensitive species Huge blocks of rock from different ages and of varied origins formed the continent CARLOS GOLDGRUB / OPÇÃO BRASIL IMAGENSItaimbezinho Canyon a 130 million year-old geological scarCARLOS GOLDGRUB / OPÇÃO BRASIL IMAGENS South America’s geological structure is an enormous kaleidoscope of blocks of rock that broke apart came together and moved about impressively a municipality 60 kilometers from the city of São Paulo a professor at the University of São Paulo’s (USP’s) Institute of Geosciences (IGc) which dozens of geologists have been studying in depth for at least 50 years synthesized in an article recently published in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences “Everything here used to be at the bottom of the sea as we arrive at the top of a hill in one of the neighborhoods in the municipality of Pirapora do Bom Jesus Then he stops at a plot of land on the corner in front there is a municipal school with white walls and a local grocery store that sells buckets In the gully that runs along the side of a tarmac road Tassinari points out an example of this evidence: the pillow lava bodies of basaltic magma in the shape of bubbles or “The outermost layer of the pillow lavas was formed when the hot lava that flowed from the ocean crust cooled down as it came into contact with the sea water” who is working with Bley and other geologists to reconstruct the turbulent – and unfinished – geological history of South America There are more rocks of the same type on the other side of the valley that is cut by the Tietê River As we climbed up the hill he indicated a natural limestone deposit and pointed toward an old magnetite mine – other vestiges from the bottom of a sea that disappeared as the result of a collision between tectonic plates that were moving in opposite directions The force of the impact between the plates was so strong that fragments of the ocean crust which were at an estimated depth of 4 thousand meters were driven into the continent and today can be found at an altitude of roughly 600 meters above sea level (it is quite possible that they created hills that were even higher than this) the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) as well as other Brazilian geological research centers normally examine the origin and the composition of parts of this immense jigsaw puzzle sometimes offering more general visions such as those provided by Bley specialists from other countries – Argentina Denmark and Australia – are working to understand the formation of their own continents They meet on a frequent basis to help each other or to see how the continents used to fit together given that blocks of rock now found in South America used to be side by side with others that are now located in North America or China Bley’s most recent article complements another that he wrote in 2008 and which was published in the scientific journal Precambrian Research The two papers offer  an overview of the remarkable diversity of the ages composition and origins of the blocks of rock from the earth’s crust that came from different directions consolidating the South American continent’s geological skeleton found in the State of Bahia and along the banks of the Amazon River in Brazil’s Northeastern Region and in Mar del Plata which starts in the south of Bahia and runs all the way down to Uruguay These layers of rock may start just a few meters below the surface and reach a depth of 40 kilometers In South America a continuous process of destruction and reconstruction is taking place Another easy to see example of these tectonic collisions is found at Itatiaia National Park Its basic geological structure is the result of lava released by a volcano but after this a major flow of lava flowed through the area In their book Itatiaia – Sentinela das alturas (Editora Terra Virgem) Umberto Giuseppe Cordani and Wilson Teixeira show the sequence of tectonic movements that led to the formation of Agulhas Negras (Black Needles) Peak and of the cliffs whose sides bring to mind the petrified roots of an immense tree “Where the Brazilian Center-West region is now there used to be an ocean the size of the Atlantic between 900 million and 600 million years ago” after having worked for five years on the geological mapping of the State of Paraná he joined UnB as a professor and got down to the task of studying the geology of Brazil’s central region His analysis indicated that there used to be an arch-shaped chain of volcanic islands as a result of the shock between the oceanic plates The destruction of the islands produced a chain of mountains similar to the Himalayas which stretched for 1,500 kilometers from the southern part of the State of Tocantins to the south of the State of Minas Gerais Tassinari believes that the former oceanic basin of Pirapora do Bom Jesus which he first began to study 30 years ago that it could become another reason for visiting the city currently best known for its religious festivals and for a church that started being built in 1725 “We have already spoken with the mayor and are fighting to get protection for these relics from the earth’s history” this is the only area in the State of São Paulo that has a relatively well-preserved oceanic crust Another indication of areas of extinct oceans are the deep sea sediments “The life of an ocean is extremely short rarely lasting much beyond 200 million years The reason for this is that since the oceanic crust is thinner than the continental crust are currently the main researchers on a thematic project that is under way The rocks in Pernambuco were almost as ancient as those found in Canada, which are 4 billion years old. They are among the little evidence left over from the early days of the earth, which was formed 4.7 billion years ago from a rotating cloud of gas and dust. For many millions of years, all that existed was melted rock, volcanic eruptions and a toxic atmosphere. The first bacteria, capable of surviving temperatures close to 100º Celsius, only appeared on earth about 3.5 billion years ago. EDUARDO CESAR Tassinari and the pillow lavas of Pirapora do Bom JesusEDUARDO CESAR A river and an island South America was formed from these older cores which became bigger by incorporating others the Amazon craton doubled in size during the Proterozoic era Cratons are immense blocks formed by various types of rock which function as a relatively stable set within the crust for at least 100 million years The Amazon craton is 4.4 million square kilometers in size which is equal to 52% of Brazil’s territory lies in the State of Roraima and in the west of the State of Pará which was joined by other blocks of granite that make up the Guyanas and part of Venezuela The highest rocks left a valley through which the Amazon River began to flow and sediment from the river formed the island of Marajó Two and a half billion years ago there was a turnaround in the history of the earth A supercontinent known as Kenorland may well have taken shape at this time when the atmosphere began to receive oxygen which is essential for the survival of more sophisticated microorganisms “How sure are we that this supercontinent existed There is still a great deal of controversy” Another supercontinent may have formed between 2.2 and 2 billion years ago Much later it broke apart and its pieces joined up yet again to form Rodinia which brought together virtually the entire continental mass of the earth between 1 billion and 850 million years ago Rodinia began to break apart about 800 million years ago which moved around and then joined up once again forming yet another single supercontinent called Pangea pointing to one of the maps on the wall behind his desk “Pangea broke into pieces about 230 million years ago Initially joined together in a single block of Pangea South America and Africa began to move apart about 220 million years ago “The current States of Pernambuco and Paraíba were the last two areas to detach themselves from Africa” Most of South America became relatively stable about 60 million years ago The fragments of Rodinia formed a relatively stable area from Venezuela to Argentina a vast group of blocks of rock completed by sedimentary basins such as the Paraná basin “Depressions formed on top of this set of sedimentary and volcanic rocks and it is here that you have the Paraná River and its tributaries” to the west there is an area that is still geologically unstable which resulted from the convergence of the Nazca plate and the South American continental plate “The Nazca plate is moving at the rate of one centimeter a year” The oceans are also in a process of transformation “The Atlantic is expanding while the Pacific is closing” The result – 200 million years from now the continents will come together again” the continent that is likely to result from this merger has already been given a number of names given that it is likely to bring America and Asia together once again © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved Damascus, SANA-The Director of School Buildings at the Ministry of Education, Engineer Mohammed al-Hanoun, discussed with engineers from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) the preparation of studies for building … Read More » Homs, SANA- Homs Agriculture Directorate announced Monday the start of harvesting current wheat crop in Talkalakh area, from on May 10th. Homs Agriculture Director, Eng. Nazih al-Rifai, told SANA that … Read More » Damascus, SANA- Religious Endowments Minister (Awqaf) Mohammad Abu al-Khair Shukri, Damascus Governor, Maher Marwan, discussed Monday means to develop joint work between the ministry and the governorate. During the meeting, … Read More » Doha, SANA-The International Union of Muslim Scholars condemned Israeli attacks on Syria, targeting of its territories, and attempts to incite sectarian strife there, calling on Arab and Islamic countries to … Read More » Algeria, SANA- President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) and Speaker of the Algerian National People’s Assembly, Ibrahim Boughali, affirmed the importance of Syria’s pivotal role within its Arab environment … Read More » Homs, SANA- Anti-Narcotics Department, in cooperation with Homs Security Directorate, seized a Captagon drug factory on the Syrian-Lebanese border and confiscated all its contents, which will be subsequently destroyed. Reem … Read More » SANA-The Director of School Buildings at the Ministry of Education SANA-The International Union of Muslim Scholars condemned Israeli attacks on Syria SANA- The Embassy of the Sisterly Republic of Yemen in Damascus was reopened on … set to carry 30,000 metric tons of high-quality local … SANA- Real Madrid secured a challenging 3-2 win over visiting Celta Vigo in Matchday … SANA-School libraries are an essential component of the Ministry of Education’s educational system discussed on Thursday with charge d’ Affairs of the … in partnership with the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre SANA-The American New York Times confirmed that the deadly legacy of blood left by … SANA-Russian Coordination Center in Damascus handed over the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums … Votorantim Cimentos ended the second quarter of 2024 with a higher net revenue from higher volumes and supported by geographic and product diversification The company recorded global net revenue of BRL 7 billion in the second quarter of 2024 a 1% increase compared to the same period last year excluding the effect of exchange rate variation This result is mainly due to the positive performance of operations in Europe the company’s global cement sales totaled 9.6 million t Consolidated adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest and Amortisation) reached BRL 1.6 billion in the second quarter a 2% decrease in local currency and stable in the consolidation in the BRL currency compared to 2Q23 This result is due to a balanced portfolio with geographic and product diversification positively impacted by operational performance in Europe Votorantim Cimentos’ net profit was BRL 515 million in 2Q24 10% higher compared to BRL 470 million in 2Q23 Votorantim Cimentos' investments (CAPEX) added up to BRL 679 million This increase is mainly explained by the global strategy for investments in modernisation and structural competitiveness in addition to projects linked to the company’s decarbonisation commitments the first phase of the modernisation project of the Salto de Pirapora plant (in the State of São Paulo The company also concluded the investment in the cement kiln at the St which aims to expand the co-processing capacity of alternative fuels with plastic waste and biomass These two initiatives enhance Votorantim Cimentos’ thermal substitution rate contributing to the company’s decarbonisation journey and sustainability commitments Expansion projects accounted for 13% of the total capital invested in the second quarter of 2024 Votorantim Cimentos announced an expansion in Edealina (State of Goiás with an investment of BRL 200 million for the construction of a new cement grinding line that will double the plant's production capacity The conclusion is expected for the second half of 2025 This amount is part of a comprehensive BRL 5 billion investment programme for the next five years focused on growth and structural competitiveness of Votorantim Cimentos’ operations in Brazil covers the company’s operations in all regions of the country with structural investments aimed at increasing cement production capacity measured by the net debt/adjusted EBITDA ratio 0.24x higher than the same period in 2023 but still in line with the company’s financial policy and aligned with investment-grade indicators The increase is explained by exchange rate variations partially mitigated by improved operational results Votorantim Cimentos maintained a solid liquidity with total cash and financial investments worth BRL 4.9 billion allowing the company to comply with its financial obligations for approximately four years “At the end of the first half of the year our results demonstrate the resilience and effectiveness of our diversification and capital allocation strategy We remain focused on strengthening our structural competitiveness advancing decarbonisation projects and new businesses while maintaining our solid financial discipline We stay on course with our investment plan aligned with our global strategy and strategic mandate” The Moody's rating agency reaffirmed Votorantim Cimentos’ global credit rating in May 2024 keeping the company as an Investment Grade Votorantim Cimentos signed an agreement for the full sale of its assets located in Tunisia to Sinoma Cement Co. a cement based building materials enterprise headquartered in China including the effective transfer of the assets in the country and financial liquidation is subject to the fulfilment of customary precedent conditions including the approval by regulatory authorities The commercial terms of the transaction are confidential This divestment is aligned with Votorantim Cimentos’ portfolio management strategy which seeks to maximise value for its shareholders and balance the geographic positioning between mature and emerging markets optimising the risk management of the company's consolidated portfolio During the analysis by the local regulatory authorities all Votorantim Cimentos’ plants and offices in Tunisia will continue to operate as usual Votorantim Cimentos’ net revenue in the second quarter of 2024 was BRL 3.2 billion Adjusted EBITDA reached BRL 566 million in 2Q24 due to a positive trend in new businesses and an improvement in variable costs net revenue reached BRL 2.2 billion in 2Q24 which was partially mitigated by the increase in prices at the beginning of the year The adjusted EBITDA result in the region was BRL 613 million compared to BRL 647 million in the same period of the previous year The drop in operating results is due to lower volumes and higher variable costs from raw materials by the increase in prices and better operational efficiency an increase of 22% in 2Q24 compared to 2Q23 due to higher volumes in all cluster’s countries and positive price management The region's adjusted EBITDA was BRL 362 million an increase of 19% compared to 2Q23 in local currency The positive operating result was due to the market dynamics and lower variable costs revenue grew 2% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 in local currency The region ended 2Q24 with BRL 29 million in adjusted EBITDA excluding the exchange rate variation effect mainly due to the challenging market dynamics in Uruguay and maintenance timing Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/14082024/votorantim-cimentos-provides-second-quarter-financial-results/ Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos plans to invest US$1bn in expanding its Brazilian operations in the period up to the end of 2028 US$304m-worth of the investments are already underway at the start of 2024 Reuters has reported that the investments include cement plant projects to raise Votorantim Cimentos’ Brazilian cement production capacity by 8.8% to 37Mt/yr These include a US$162m investment in a 20% capacity expansion to its Votorantim cement plant and a US$60.8m 1Mt/yr expansion to its Salto de Pirapora plant Further aims are to ensure structural competitiveness raise energy efficiency and digitise operations including applying artificial intelligence (AI) to freight The producer expects its earnings before interest and amortization (EBITDA) to eventually rise by US$263/yr between 2023 and 2028 as a result Synthetic fibers are polluting the world’s oceans – but a new report shows how apparel companies have been far too slow to respond Over the past few years, evidence has been mounting that synthetic textiles such as polyester and acrylic are a major source of pollution in the world’s oceans That’s because washing those clothes causes tiny plastic fibers to shed and travel through wastewater treatment plants into public waterways These microfibers are sometimes inadvertently gobbled up by aquatic organisms including the fish that end up on our plate Maria Westerbos, director of the Plastic Soup Foundation, an Amsterdam-based nonprofit and Mermaids’ public outreach partner, urges the apparel makers and sellers to apply the report’s recommendations. Read more“So far we have hardly seen any effort from the clothing industry to tackle the problem at the source,” she said The Mermaids report is the latest research effort to quantify the environmental and health impact of microfiber pollution and offer potential solutions. Researchers studying plastic pollution started discovering microfibers in the early 2000s but it was not until a 2011 study that microfibers were linked to the apparel industry He sought research funding from the apparel industry but received little support Canadian retailer MEC and outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx recently commissioned researchers at the Vancouver Aquarium to develop a protocol for tracking synthetic fibers from the source – their apparel – to the ocean The firms hope the protocol will become an industry standard that other brands will use as well Patagonia released findings from a lab-based study to quantify fibers shed from its products in the wash which multiple studies have shown significantly increases fiber loss so the results do not reflect real-world conditions Read moreMermaids’ report also suggested new formulas for laundry detergents to help minimize fiber shedding It also advised consumers to stay away from powder detergent especially those with added oxidizing agents to remove tough stain because they produce the highest fiber loss during washing Mermaids launched a public awareness campaign to get the word out Researchers launched Mermaids in 2015 and set an ambitious goal to cut the amount of microfiber shedding during washing by 70% The Italian National Research Council led the research The Mermaids researchers pinpointed factors in the manufacturing of polyester and acrylic textiles that influences the amount of fibers that could be shed from a finished product while it is being laundered such as lowering the melting temperature during yarn production to improve it tensile strength and reduce the likelihood of breakage There are tradeoffs to changing manufacturing processes and some could lead to slower production rates The researchers also evaluated a range of coatings The coatings that are already used by textile makers ranging from zero reduction to cutting fiber loss by as much as 40% reduced fiber loss by up to 50% compared to no coating While the Mermaids report offers recommendations it doesn’t spell out the financial and technical difficulties of implementing manufacturing changes Textile and apparel makers so far seem unconvinced that they should invest in those changes MEC and Patagonia declined to comment on the Mermaids findings and representatives from both companies said they would not be bringing the Mermaids recommendations to their textile partners in the short term Further research remains necessary to have a deeper understanding of the environmental and health impact of microfiber pollution while research has shown that small organisms such as plankton can get sick from ingesting fibers there isn’t enough data to determine large-scale ecosystem-wide impacts from microfiber contamination or whether they threaten human health Knowing the extent of microplastic contamination is crucial for coming up with effective ideas and regulations to tackle it a professor at the Institute of Hydrochemistry at the Technical University of Munich Ivleva and her colleagues dug into highly publicized research that purported to find microfibers in 24 different brands of German beer and found that the means by which researchers identified contaminants was unreliable polymer scientists all need to come together” to advance thorough ecologists face “a huge job” in determining the extent to which all types of microplastics are impacting aquatic organisms and SAO PAULO — Large billows of pollution-filled foam are once again choking part of the Tiete river that cuts through a small city in south-eastern Brazil A general view of the polluted Tiete River filled with foam in Pirapora do Bom Jesus huge amounts of white foam cover part of the river and many of the streets of Pirapora do Bom Jesus The foam is caused by household detergents dumped into the river as well as untreated water and sewage that flow into the Tiete during the Southern Hemisphere’s dry winter With less water the concentration of pollutants grows Residents complain the foul smelling foam stains clothes and damages the paint on cars The Sao Paulo State Health Department did not respond to an email yesterday (June 24) asking about any health hazards from the foam Todayonline.com and Today Online domains and apps are now part of 'Channelnewsasia.com' domain We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with TODAY to be fast Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us Brazil reached the record-breaking mark of over 11,000 gigawatts of operational power from photovoltaic solar sources The increase in the price of electricity bills is one of the factors that boosted the demand for clean energy The solar source now occupies fifth place in the Brazilian power grid Absolar data shows large plants led the sector’s advance until 2019 had a record growth for solar energy in our country the small-sized (distributed) generation grew more than the large plants and took the first position,” reported Rodrigo Sauaia Sauaia explained the price of installing solar energy kept consumers away until a few years ago Factors such as the higher number of suppliers access to credit lines focused on the solar system the upsurge in the cost of electricity bills have contributed to the reputation of photovoltaic energy The perspective is for solar energy demand to grow until April 2022 when extra costs for the water shortage will still be applied to Brazilian’s electricity bills “The impact of the water crisis was tremendous The average cost of electricity bills rose 20% This boosted society’s interest in producing its energy The projection is for this year to be record-breaking,” concluded the president of Absolar the financial aspect was also one of the reasons encouraging the use of clean energy in the countryside The Paraná Renewable Rural Energy Program (RenovaPR) carried out by the Paraná Rural Development Institute (IDR) team has already implemented 1,198 projects since August this year when it started operations in addition to fostering clean energy generation the program was created to contribute to sustainability in the bills of producers from Paraná “The price of rural energy [generated by hydroelectric plants] will lose subsidy in 2023 It will reach the equivalent price of urban industrial energy so the goal is for all farmers to have clean energy by then,” he warned The initiative proposes two models: photovoltaic solar energy with the rest being for installing a biodigester the goal is to reach 100,000 production units with clean energy It is highly viable from an economic standpoint,” said Almeida Guillermo Louis produces hydroponics such as lettuce and arugula in the state of Paraná and has been using his system to generate photovoltaic energy for four years “Energy consumption is important for these productions The energy bill was around BRL 800 [USD 140] per month it dropped to BRL 40 [USD 7],” said the farmer energy is generated in an on-grid system (connected to the local electricity company’s grid.) “The advantage is; what we don’t consume [from the solar system] goes to the electric company and the 13 solar panels are cleaned every three to four months And the best thing is we have zero carbon emissions,” explained him either duplicating it with more panels or buying a wind turbine but I still need to assess the cost-benefit ratio,” he concluded Valmont Solar is one of the companies that expanded this year The brand recorded a 130% growth from January to October compared to the same period in 2020 “We increased our presence and capillarity in Brazil We entered the North and Northeast regions,” reported Fabio Yanagui general manager for Latin America of Valmont Solar The company’s projects are customized for each property “We have enabled the production of food in regions that until then had no energy and We are installing a project in the interior of Goiás where solar energy would only arrive in four years,” he said the return on the investment usually came after seven or eight years the payback time has dropped to four years noting Valmont’s customers include foreign investors “We already have clients with this characteristic investment funds buying services [and then selling to producers] I believe they are new players in the market,” he concluded The Gulf country has deposited its instrument of acceptance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies which is aimed at curbing harmful subsidies that contribute to overfishing and promoting the sustainable management of global marine resources The Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA) is the news website of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce Its goal is to promote communication between Brazilians and Arabs.