Retiro & Palmeiras Small HPPs

active

The Brazilian company SEBAND Ltda. was granted authorizations to build two small hydro power plants located in the state of Sao Paulo (32 MW in total capacity). The 30-year contracts were signed with the regulatory agency ANEEL in December 2002. In July 2007, SEBAND transferred the shareholding control of PCH Retiro (16MW) and PCH Palmeiras (16 MW) to DEB - Pequenas Centrais Eletricas, a subsidiary of the American company Duke Energy International. The company committed to invest US$ 102.5 million (BRL 200 million) in the construction of the power plants. In 2009, the sponsor began the construction of power plants which were set to be entirely financed with the company´s own resources. In July 2011, the construction works of PCH Palmeiras were concluded, while, as of August 2011, construction works on PCH Retiro were still underway. The company agreed to sell the output to CPFL, a Brazilian electricity distribution company. In March 2014, PCH Retiro commenced operations. In October 2016, the Chinese company China Three Gorges acquired Duke Energy's assets in Brazil in a transaction worth US$ 1.2 billion.