Silvio Ávila
66
With
renewed
energy
Rural producers of the
region seek expansion
and regularity in electric
energy services, to the
extent that theymaintain
the growth of agriculture
One of the main pleas of the progress-oriented region in
Western Bahia, based on its expressive agribusiness, is the
expansion and refurbishment of the electric energy servic-
es. Supply deficiencies, like voltage oscillations, interfering
with the production structures, and the lack of electrical
grids, which is the case of Coaceral and Jaborandi, among
others, are situations for which the sector claims a solution
from the competent organ, a fact that oncemore happened
at a meeting held by the Bahia Association of Farmers and
Irrigators (Aiba) and by the Bahia State Electricity Company
(Coelba), on 28th August, 2017.
“The expansion and regular supply of electric energy
play a fundamental role in the development of the agri-
culture practiced in the region, so as to
make it possible, for example, to use ir-
rigation and establish agroindustries”,
said Celestino Zanella, president at
Aiba, entity that has put forward pleas
on behalf of the communities and the
region in this area. At the August meet-
ing, where benefits for irrigating farm-
ers were on the agenda, Paulo Medeiros,
manager of Coelba’s Corporate Clients
Affair, suggested solutions related to substations, like the
works at Rio Grande 2 and Barreiras 2, and forthcoming
works in Pratudão, in Formoso, Jaborandi and SãoMarcelo,
in Formosa do Rio Preto, comprising Coaceral.
In the meantime, the region is anticipating its plans and
started debating alternatives in the field of energy. On 28th
September 2017, a workshop was conducted on Renewable
Energies at agribusiness, in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, attend-
ed by a big number of people. Producers, represented by the
unions of the Bahia State Agriculture Federation (Faeb) and
by Aiba, alongwith the State University (Uneb) and theWorld-
Expansionand
refurbishmentof
the transmission
grid isrequiredby
the sector
Watch Institute (WWI), debated options intend-
ed to achieve self-sufficiency and energy gen-
eration: solar energy, strongly emphasized due
to the intense solar radiation in the region; wind
energy; biomass and biogas, with the conver-
sionofagriculturalcropresiduesandagroindus-
trial waste into energy; and Small Hydroelectric
Plants/Generating Plants (PCH/CGH), in light of
thebigwater potential in the region.
Carminha Missio, president of the Rural
Producers’ Union in Luís Eduardo Magalhães,
andprofessor DaniloGusmão, responsible for
Uneb’s department of theAgricultural Renew-
able Energies Center, on that occasion came
to the conclusion that these projects are tech-
nically viable for the region. They maintained
that the question can be viewed not only as
an alternative, but is a priority focus for en-
ergy security, and even for the generation of
businesses in the segment.
