Brazil has connected northern Roraima state to its national power grid through a project known as Linhao Manaus-Boa Vista, according to Brazilian mines and energy ministry.
The project installed 725km (450.5 miles) of transmission lines with 500kV of peak capacity to the current 170,000km national system. Investments reached R3.3bn ($609.7mn) to build 1,390 towers above the forest canopies, in compliance with indigenous people and mitigation efforts.
Roraima's Boa Vista city was the only remaining state capitol not connected to Brazil's national power grid. Roraima, like other Amazonian states, relies heavily on regional diesel-powered electric plants to serve remote communities.
At an opening ceremony this week, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the project could serve as a model for further power integration with neighboring countries. "This way, no country would deal with power outages because we could deliver energy on demand," he said, although it would take time for other regional leaders to understand its importance.
The Linhao Manaus-Boa Vista project will save over R500mn/yr on fuel expenses for the government while providing power supply for schools, hospitals, businesses and houses, according to the ministry. It is also set to reduce more than 1mn metric tonnes (t) of CO2/yr, supporting the national energy transition agenda ahead of the UN Cop 30 climate summit in northern Belem city, in November.
