Brazil should be able to meet its power demand in the coming months as the start of the rainy season is reducing the risk of power shortages from a record drought, according to the electricity sector monitoring committee (CMSE).
The committee, part of the ministry of energy and mines, still advises caution and continues to monitor the power situation.
Precipitation during September rose across all regions, particularly in the south, boosting water in storage for southern hydroelectric plants and signaling the transition to the rainy season, according to data presented to the committee by Brazil's grid operator (ONS).
Water stored in Brazil's interconnected electrical system (SIN) in September was 2 percentage points above forecasts, ending the month at 24pc of capacity, ONS said.
ONS predicts the country will meet power demand even in the most conservative scenario. The government's forecast is backed by consultancy group PSR, which said recently that the risk of shortages has "significantly" decreased through the end of November because of the increased precipitation. The country will still depend on power imports from Argentina and Uruguay and other emergency actions announced this year, PSR said.
In 2022, the country expects an additional 7 GW of non-hydrogenerated power to be added to the grid, decreasing the risk of shortages. But water levels will still be low at the end of 2021, which is "concerning," PSR said.
