The unit is located in the city of Piumhi and has an installed capacity of 3.3MWp.
The Photovoltaic Plant (UFV), fully designed, developed, and operated by NEC Energia, a joint venture formed by CEI Energética and Nebras Power, is now operational. UFV Piumhi features the latest in solar market technology, with five thousand photovoltaic panels installed on trackers.
The inauguration event, held yesterday, July 30th, was attended by José Cirineu Silva, Deputy Mayor of Piumhi, Gustavo Pondello from the Investment Promotion Agency of the Government of Minas Gerais (Invest Minas), Fausto Torres Magalhães Avelar from the Secretariat of Economic Development of Minas Gerais, and company employees. Romero Ferreira, CEO of NEC Energia and CEI Energética, emphasized that the unique aspect of the project is that the entire process, from development to construction and implementation of UFV Piumhi, was carried out by NEC Energia. “This work involved various areas of the company. Additionally, the operation will also be performed by us through BEI, NEC’s automation, operation, and maintenance branch”, he explained.
Romero further highlighted that the first photovoltaic plant fully developed by the group proved that NEC possesses all the necessary expertise to develop new ventures in the field, as the project was completed within the stipulated time and budget, and in the first month of operation, the plant produced the planned amount of energy. “Our teams demonstrated that we are ready to advance in the development of new projects like UFV Piumhi, which had an investment of R$ 20 million. In fact, we have already progressed, as we are developing 10 new UFVs scheduled for this year”, he concluded.
Maurício Halewics, CFO of Nebras Power in Brazil, emphasized the importance of this project. “This enterprise demonstrates to us, the shareholders, the community, and the stakeholders that we have the full capacity to move forward with projects of this size and even larger in Minas Gerais and throughout the country”, he added.
According to Henrique Sollero, Implementation Manager at NEC, being the first UFV built by the Group, one of the project’s challenges was defining a standard plant that would optimize operation and maintenance. He highlights that one of the great benefits of this project is the structuring of a new business model for NEC, focused on low voltage consumers, that is, individuals residing in houses or apartments, commercial establishments, and small industries. “The start-up of UFV Piumhi will allow residential customers to also access renewable energy generated by our company, in a cheaper manner, with discounts, without risks, and without the need for construction work”, he explains.
Development in Minas Gerais
For the Deputy Mayor of Piumhi, José Cirineu, the plant brings sustainable development to the city and creates opportunities. “It is a pride for our city to attract investments of this magnitude that produce clean energy. Additionally, the construction of the plant stimulated the local economy and generated jobs in our region”.
For Gustavo Pondello, from Invest Minas, the Investment Promotion Agency of the Government of Minas Gerais linked to the State Secretariat for Economic Development, UFV Piumhi “is proof that Minas Gerais is increasingly consolidating itself as a strategic hub in sectors such as solar energy”.
