Several new wind farms are being planned for Brazil’s northeastern states over the next few years. The firm Ventania, which is owned by Portuguese and Brazilian energy companies, plans to construct 11 new wind farms at a cost of some 1.2 billion Brazilian reals, or approximately US$ 520 million.
Five new wind farms are planned for Ceara, four in the state of Piaui and two will be in Rio Grand do Norte. Ventania recently began operating two wind farms in Aracati, about 140 kilometers from Fortaleza. These two energy sources should generate some 61,000 megawatts/hour of energy, which is enough to supply 50,000 families with their energy needs. The wind generators also avoid the emission of 25,800 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The Brazilian government and the state governments of the northeast states have initiated the Alternative Energy Source Incentive Program (Proinfa) to help develop renewable energy. The program for the northeast calls for nearly 4 billion reals, or US$ 1.7 billion, to be invested in projects over the next four years. In addition to helping the environment, these new energy plants will help to keep costs in Brazil down and reliance on fossil fuels to a minimum.
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