Brazil Anticipates Energy Crisis Due To Drought, May Introduce Rationing - Vice President

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) Brazil may have to ration energy due to severe drought and hydroelectric power plants working below capacity, Vice President Hamilton Mourao said.

"There may have to be some rationing... We are trying to demonstrate the severity of the situation so that consumers save energy voluntarily. In this case we will not have to import [energy], and we can reduce the use of thermal power stations and make the energy system more flexible," Mourao stated on Wednesday.

The decision comes a day after Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque warned that hydro-energy conditions had deteriorated, as the reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants in the southeast of Brazil had suffered a greater reduction than expected. Due to the extreme weather conditions, Brazil had lost hydropower output equal to the energy consumed by the largest city of Rio de Janeiro in five months. Federal government agencies were ordered to cut their energy consumption by 20% to alleviate the worst energy crisis, which is looming large, as hydropower is the main source of energy in Brazil.

The meteorological forecast remains unfavorable for Brazil, as rainfall in key energy-producing regions is expected to remain well below average next month.