China Expands Clean Energy Projects in Latin America, from Brazil to Argentina

Illustration of a solar panel. China is expanding its clean energy projects in Latin America, including the construction of solar power plants and the modernization of electrical infrastructure. Illustration photo: Pexels.

China is expanding its clean energy projects in Latin America through the construction of transmission networks, solar power plants, and the modernization of hydropower plants. The cooperation is not only in the form of investment, but also brings China's energy management technology and systems to the region.

China Daily, quoted on Friday, August 14, said one of its largest projects was in Brazil. State Grid Corporation of China is building a 2,534-kilometer Belo Monte Phase II transmission line to connect hydropower sources in the north with the electricity demand center in the southeast, including Rio de Janeiro.

The project is invested, built, and operated by State Grid under a 30-year concession.

Senior engineer of the State Grid Energy Research Institute Ye Xiaoning said the line helps to overcome the inequality between energy source locations and electricity consumption centers in Brazil.

"This major project ensures a very stable and reliable electricity supply for Brazil's key economic areas," Ye said, as quoted by China Daily.

China is also involved in the Cauchari solar power project in Argentina. The 315 megawatt plant is located at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters in the Andes Mountains and has more than 1.2 million solar panels.

Cauchari is said to be one of the largest single solar power plants in South America and the highest solar park in the world.

The project ends the long dependence of the Jujuy Province on electricity supplies from other provinces and makes the region able to meet its own energy needs.

In Brazil, China Three Gorges or CTG also took over the operation of the Jupia and Ilha Solteira hydropower plants through a transaction worth 3.7 billion US dollars with a concession period of 30 years.

The two plants have a combined capacity of almost 5 million kilowatts and meet the electricity needs of more than 6 million people each year.

CTG then updated the mechanical equipment that had been operating for almost half a century into a digital monitoring system on 12 power plants.

Chinese and Latin American energy cooperation is also on the agenda of the two governments. Chinese President Xi Jinping previously encouraged strengthening cooperation in the energy, mineral, and clean energy sectors through the Belt and Road framework.

Deputy Director of China's National Energy Administration Ren Jingdong said renewable energy is now one of the new areas of cooperation.

"New energy cooperation has become one of the highlights and new drivers of China-Latin American energy cooperation," Ren said.

As more Latin American countries accelerate their energy transition, Chinese companies are expected to expand their involvement through local manufacturing, joint research, and green financing.

Ye said China's grid and power generation technologies can help developing countries reduce emissions while keeping the power supply stable and independent.