Presidente Médici Candiota power station
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Presidente Médici Candiota power station (Usina Termelétrica Candiota) is an operating power station of at least 350-megawatts (MW) in Candiota, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Usina Termelétrica Candiota III (Presidente Médici-C power station Unit 5).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Presidente Médici Candiota power station | Candiota, Candiota, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | -31.5513644, -53.6830179 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Presidente Médici-A power station Unit 1, Presidente Médici-A power station Unit 2, Presidente Médici-B power station Unit 1, Presidente Médici-B power station Unit 2: -31.5513644, -53.6830179
- Presidente Médici-C power station Unit 5: -31.5514, -53.6828
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidente Médici-A power station Unit 1 | retired | coal: bituminous | 63 | subcritical | 1974 | 2017 |
| Presidente Médici-A power station Unit 2 | retired | coal: bituminous | 63 | subcritical | 1974 | 2017 |
| Presidente Médici-B power station Unit 1 | retired | coal: bituminous | 160 | subcritical | 1986 | 2017 |
| Presidente Médici-B power station Unit 2 | retired | coal: bituminous | 160 | subcritical | 1987 | 2017 |
| Presidente Médici-C power station Unit 5 | operating | coal: bituminous | 350 | subcritical | 2010 | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Presidente Médici-A power station Unit 1 | Âmbar Energia SA [100%][1] | J&F Investimentos SA [100.0%] |
| Presidente Médici-A power station Unit 2 | Âmbar Energia SA [100%][1] | J&F Investimentos SA [100.0%] |
| Presidente Médici-B power station Unit 1 | Âmbar Energia SA [100%][1] | J&F Investimentos SA [100.0%] |
| Presidente Médici-B power station Unit 2 | Âmbar Energia SA [100%][1] | J&F Investimentos SA [100.0%] |
| Presidente Médici-C power station Unit 5 | Âmbar Energia SA [100%][1] | J&F Investimentos SA [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Candiota mine
Financing
- Source of financing: China Development Bank, BNP Paribas
Background
The first phase of construction terminated in 1974 with the opening of Units 1 and 2; a second phase, encompassing Units 3 & 4[2], was completed in 1986, and a third, more significant expansion (also known as Phase C or Candiota III) undertaken with cooperation from the Chinese government resulted in the opening of Unit 5 in 2010, nearly doubling the plant's output.[3][2][4]
In 2017, Brazil's national energy agency ANEEL ordered the indefinite shutdown of Units 3 & 4 pending compliance with Brazilian environmental regulations.[5] In February 2018 it was reported that ANEEL had also shut down Units 1 & 2 as of the end of 2017 and that Units 1-4 were now retired due to problems with their reliability and the government's unwillingness to extend their environmental license.[6]
Unit 5 was shut down in December 2018 for extensive maintenance and upgrade work to address equipment wear caused by the high ash local coal that fuels the plant.[2] Unit 5 resumed normal operations in November 2020.[4]
Current energy contracts for Unit 5 remain in effect through December 2024. As of early March 2020, plant sponsor CGTEE reportedly planned to enter Candiota Unit 5 in Brazil's April 2020 A-5 energy auction in hopes of extending the plant's life span[7][8]; however, the auction was postponed indefinitely later that month due to the coronavirus pandemic[9] and was subsequently rescheduled for September 2021.[10] The Presidente Médici plant was not listed as a participant in Brazil's 2022 energy auctions[11], and the plant's chances of succeeding in future auctions appeared limited by diminished financing opportunities for coal projects[12] and increased competition from less expensive energy sources such as solar.[12][13]
In April 2022, Rio Grande do Sul state deputy Paparico Bacchi met with Brazil's Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, urging him to extend federal government subsidies to the Presidente Medici coal plant from 2025 to 2040, as had already been done for the Jorge Lacerda power station in neighboring Santa Catarina state. Mr Albuquerque indicated that he planned to visit Candiota, where the Presidente Medici plant is located, and that he remained open to considering all energy sources in Brazil's electrical generation matrix.[14]
In a 2022 interview, an official from Eletrosul (a subsidiary of plant owner Eletrobras) confirmed that current government energy contracts for Unit 5 remained set to expire in 2024, but noted that Eletrosul was still exploring other ways of commercializing energy from the Presidente Medici plant beyond 2024.[15]
Sale of Unit 5 to Âmbar Energia
In September 2023, Eletrobras sold the lone remaining operating unit of the Candiota power station (the 350 MW Unit 5) to Âmbar Energia for R$ 72 million (72 million Brazilian reales).[16]
At a Just Energy Transition hearing following the power station's sale, the president of Âmbar Energia reportedly expressed confidence in the continued operation of the coal-fired power station and its role in supporting the 'security' of the national energy system.[17]
Possible extension of Unit 5 energy contracts to 2050
In November 2023, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved a wind exploration bill which included a rider protecting certain coal-fired thermoelectric plants as reserves.[18] The bill stipulated that the contracts of the Presidente Médici Candiota power station (Candiota) and the Figuera power station would be extended until 2050 and would serve as back-up capacity in support of new renewable energy infrastructure.[19] However, the bill was returned to the Senate in early December for further deliberation.[20] In December 2023, the wind exploration bill appeared to be up for plenary re-consideration.[21]
As of May 2024, the outcome of the bill's approval process remained uncertain based on publicly available information. At the time, the latest status update to the bill's progress was noted by the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies as such: "Awaiting Consideration by the Federal Senate."[22]
Environmental and Health Impacts
Government agencies and NGOs have raised concerns about damage to the environment and the health of local residents caused by coal pollution from the Presidente Medici plant, calling on at least one occasion for the plant to be shut down pending further investigation.[23][24] A report from the NGO IEMA has singled out the Presidente Medici plant as one of Brazil's leading emitters of greenhouse gases.[25]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20240125124536/https://epbr.com.br/eletrobras-vende-usina-a-carvao-de-candiota-para-ambar-energia/. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Candiota 3 voltará a gerar eletricidade em março". Jornal do Comércio. January 30, 2019.
- ↑ "Candiota". CGTEE. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Uma década da Termelétrica Candiota III". CGT Eletrosul. January 1, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Despacho da Aneel formaliza suspensão da Fase B,", Jornal Minuano, June 19, 2017.
- ↑ Termelétrica a carvão da Eletrobras encerra operação no Rio Grande do Sul, Globo, Feb. 26, 2018
- ↑ "Candiota 3 pode participar de leilão de energia". Jornal do Comércio. March 4, 2020.
- ↑ "Fase C da Usina de Candiota quer participar do próximo leilão de energia". Jornal Tribuna do Pampa. 2020-03-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "MME posterga realização dos leilões de energia elétrica e de transmissão". EPE (Empresa de Pesquisa Energética). March 30, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Leilões de energia representam oportunidades para o setor". UNICA. December 9, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Portaria Nº 1.593/SPE/MME, de 29 de agosto de 2022". Diário Oficial da União. August 29, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Transição energética gera euforia em MG e apreensão no RS". Folha de S.Paulo. December 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Apesar de carvão poder participar de leilões de energia, chances de venda são remotas". Jornal Tribuna do Pampa. May 9, 2022.
- ↑ "Produção de fertilizantes e energia pautam ações do deputado Paparico em Brasília". Assembleia Legislativa - Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. April 13, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "RESPOSTAS NA ÍNTEGRA DAS EMPRESAS E DO GOVERNO DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL AO OBSERVATÓRIO DA MINERAÇÃO SOBRE A OPERAÇÃO DE CARVÃO EM CANDIOTA" (PDF). Observatório da Mineração. September 2022.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 68 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Eletrobras vende usina a carvão de Candiota para Âmbar Energia". Agência EPBR. September 8, 2023.
- ↑ Projeto de lei da Transição Energética Justa é apresentado no Senado, Brasil de Fato, September 28, 2023
- ↑ Câmara aprova exploração de energia eólica em alto mar, com reserva para carvão, Câmara dos Deputados, November 29, 2023
- ↑ Indústria do carvão mineral ainda aposta na extensão dos contratos de Candiota e Figueira no Congresso Nacional, EPBR, December 19, 2023
- ↑ Envio de Substituvo para apreciação, Câmara dos Deputados, December 7, 2023
- ↑ Envio de substitutivo para apreciaçao, Câmara dos Deputados, December 7, 2023
- ↑ PL 11247/2018 Bill, Câmara dos Deputados, Accessed: May 24, 2024
- ↑ "RS - Complexo Termelétrico de Candiota prejudica saúde da população". Mapa de Conflitos Envolvendo Injustiça Ambiental e Saúde no Brasil. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Termoelétrica no RS deve fechar, diz MPF". O Eco. 2011-02-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "RESPOSTAS NA ÍNTEGRA DAS EMPRESAS E DO GOVERNO DO RIO GRANDE DO SULAO OBSERVATÓRIO DA MINERAÇÃO SOBRE A OPERAÇÃO DE CARVÃO EM CANDIOTA" (PDF). Observatório da Mineração. September 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
