The disastrous and denialist conduct of the ONS and the Ministry of Mines and Energy aggravated the energy crisis
For months we have been denouncing the drought in the Paraná River Basin, which has had an impact on several states, especially in São Paulo, Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. More than that, the forecast of a water crisis was not a novelty taken out of the hat. The Paraná River has already suffered in 2020 with the lack of water and more institutes and experts denounced that the problem would drag on at least until 2021, directly impacting the energy model adopted by Brazil.
The Paraná River basin is the country's hydroelectric engine and accounts for more than 50% of water storage for electricity generation in Brazil. In June, the Government determined the reduction of the flow of the plants.
In the graph below, you can follow the effluent flow at the Porto Primavera hydroelectric plant, in Rosana-SP. On the red line, we see the reduction from June onwards and this drop had not only economic impacts for the municipalities, but also a devastation of the Paraná River's biodiversity.
Only in the Porto Primavera section, with the flow reduction tests, more than 4 tons of dead fish were collected, according to CESP's report, the cause was the association of cold waves with low waters and with a direct impact on exotic species of the Amazon region, such as the Tucunaré. Fishermen denounce native species buried without being accounted for.
The drought in the bed of the Paraná River and the impossibility of navigation reflected with a direct impact on the income of fishermen, traders and those who depend on tourism and fishing in the municipalities of the affected stretch.
In September, coincidentally, the water started to rise with the flow adjustment, but without the expected rains, the reservoirs are already operating at their limit with a maximum of 30 days for the production of electricity. The Ilha Solteira plant has already announced that it operates with 6% of its reservoir and the ripple effect will possibly reach Itaipu by mid-October if there is no deluge. More than expensive energy, rationing will return Brazil in the early 2000s with electrical blackouts to add to the various crises we have already faced, such as unemployment, hunger and inflation. All this with the dramatic perspective of Eletrobrás privatization.