Equinor and its Brazilian subsidiary, Rio Energy, have started commercial power production at the Serra da Babilônia solar facility in Brazil.
Strategically co-located with the existing Serra da Babilônia wind facility, this represents the first hybrid asset in Equinor’s power portfolio, comprising 140 MW of solar and 223 MW of wind capacity.
Helge Haugane, Executive Vice President for Power at Equinor, commented: “Hybrid projects that effectively integrate solar and wind technologies support a stable and reliable energy supply while enhancing value creation, in line with Equinor’s strategy. Such projects and the integration of technologies will be important for building a competitive power business.”
Hybrid projects take advantage of the complementary nature of solar and wind resources, which generate power at different times of the day and throughout different seasons. This helps to reduce the intermittency associated with renewable power generation and enhance grid stability.
Further, Serra da Babilônia Solar leverages synergies from the operating wind facility by sharing existing infrastructure on site, and by achieving efficiencies during the operations and maintenance phase. This results in material cost savings for the hybrid complex compared to a standalone solar asset.
Accumulated annual production from Serra da Babilônia Solar is estimated at 236 GWh of power per year, which is equivalent to the consumption of 143 000 Brazilian households. The produced energy will be sold in the Brazilian power market by Equinor’s energy trading house, Danske Commodities.
Veronica Coelho, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for Equinor Brazil, added: “Brazil is a key area for Equinor’s long-term growth. Building on a solid portfolio of oil and natural gas, including Raia that will supply around 15% of Brazil’s total gas demand, we are advancing towards a more integrated and diverse energy offering in the country. With Serra da Babilônia Solar operational, we now have around 600 MW of solar and wind capacity in power production, which we can further optimise through our trading arm, Danske Commodities, based in São Paulo.”
Serra da Babilônia Solar is the first project delivered by Rio Energy as a wholly owned subsidiary of Equinor. Acquired in 2023 with an operating onshore wind complex of 223 MW and a pipeline of projects, Rio Energy is Equinor’s platform for growth in onshore power production in Brazil, bringing more than 10 years of experience in the Brazilian market.
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