PCH Eletro César

With an estimated annual generation of 122 GWh per year, this hydropower plant located in the Amazon rainforest is the second-largest generator of renewable electricity in the Brazilian state of Rondônia.

FACTS

Location

Rondônia, Brazil

Technology

Hydropower

Attributes

Environmental / Local impact

Producing electricity since

2005

Developer/owner

Grupo Cesar Cassol Energia

Estimated annual generation

122.0 GWh

Total capacity

25.7 MW

PCH Eletro César hydropower plant generates clean energy from a renewable source and contributes to the sustainable development of Brazil. It supplies energy to the area in a more sustainable way, substituting a large part of the energy traditionally produced by diesel generators. Likewise, PCH Eletro César improves the quality of the local energy by reducing the need for energy transportation over hundreds of kilometres in remote places, avoiding higher costs from losses in energy, and enabling more efficient distribution in the region.

Rondônia became a state in 1982. It is one of the westernmost states in Brazil, located in the central-western part of the country, and named after the explorer Cândido Rondon, known for his explorations of the Western Amazon basin and lifelong support of indigenous Brazilians. The state is located in the heart of South America, with much of it covered by rainforest. However, although Rondônia was once home to over 200 000 square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest, it has now become one of the most deforested areas in the Amazon, and therefore in need of sustainable solutions. This may largely be attributed to the Amazon rubber boom, which saw the extraction and commercialization of rubber from the Amazon basin and wreaked havoc on local indigenous cultures, societies, and environments. While Rondônia is now big in the livestock and general agriculture industry, it is especially known for its large production of coffee, beans, cocoa, maize and soybeans. Nonetheless, rubber is still extracted, as well as timber and raw materials from mining.

Rondônia

Deep in the Amazon basin and covered by the Amazon rainforest, Rondônia is home to several spectacular landmarks and natural environments.

The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon is a monumental biome spanning 8 countries, about 40% of South America, and approximately 6.7 million square kilometres. It is perhaps the most biodiverse region in the entire world, containing 10% of all known wildlife species, and most likely much more we do not yet know about. On average, a ‘new’ species of animal or plant is being discovered in the Amazon every 3 days! The Amazon rainforest is extremely necessary for the whole of humanity, as people around the world, as well as locally, depend on the Amazon not only for water, food, timber, and natural resources for medicine, but also to help stabilize the global climate. The rainforest plays a key role in global and regional carbon and water cycles and is therefore essential to protect from threats; We all depend on its vital life-sustaining role.

Flora & Fauna

The Amazon rainforest, and Amazon basin at large, is the richest and most diverse biological reservoir on earth, encompassing millions of species of insects, plants, birds, and other forms of life. The rainforest is a complex and layered structure, from the highest canopies of 40 metres above ground, and individual trees called emergents, often rising even 60 metres from the ground. This all hides a wide variety of trees, from myrtle, palm, and acacia, to rosewood and Brazil nut. Under the canopies, networks of smaller trees, plants, and lianas, cover the surface. In all, the rainforest consists of 40,000 different plant species, and 16,000 tree species. It is in these complex systems that the major biodiversity of the rainforest is revealed through its animal and insect life. The Amazon is home to over 800 species of mammals and reptiles, 1,300 birds, and over 1000 amphibian species. Major wildlife includes the jaguar, tapir, red deer, and capybara, as well as several other endangered or threatened species, including the poison dart frog, Amazon macaw, black spider monkey, and golden lion tamarin monkey.