Brazil cuts hydropower use as droughts hit global electricity production

According to Brazil’s water authority, current conditions are expected to last until November 30. Image credit: Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images.

Due to a severe drought, Brazil shut down two of its largest hydroelectric power plants last week.

On Wednesday (August 7), the Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee (CMSE) advised the Brazilian government to minimize the use of hydroelectric power and shift its focus to thermal sources, as well as import electricity from Argentina and Uruguay, citing the low water levels of the Madeira River.

According to the Brazilian Water Authority, the current conditions are expected to last until November 30.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Brazil is the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the world. Energy technology‘S Parent company GlobalData reports that the country recorded 41 GW of hydropower generation in 2023.

The country was expected to continue its high level of hydroelectric production this year, given the large volumes of water secured in its dams. However, the drought on the Madeira River, which has been a problem since mid-2023, remained an obstacle.

The global water crisis

Brazil is not the only country affected by this crisis; droughts have led to a significant decline in hydropower production worldwide.

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China is the world leader in hydropower production. However, droughts have contributed to the decline in hydropower generation in the country since 2021. Although hydropower capacity increased by 7.8% between 2021 and 2023, hydropower generation did not see the same increase, reaching 1,184 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2021, 1,202 TWh in 2022 and 1,141 TWh in 2023, according to the WEF.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) confirmed that hydropower generation in China fell by 4.9% in 2023 and stated that the country’s electricity generation would have been 125 TWh higher if the availability of the hydropower fleet had been the same as in 2022.

The United States, another hydropower power plant, saw a 6% decline in hydroelectric power generation in 2023. This was due to significant water losses in the Northwest due to high global temperatures, which led to the suspension of production at hydroelectric power plants.

The IEA stressed that global emissions increased by around 170 tonnes last year due to drought-related bottlenecks in hydropower generation as countries had to rely on conventional sources to meet their energy needs.

A possible solution: network expansion

To counteract the impact of droughts on hydropower, the WEF proposed removing regulatory hurdles and providing significant financial support for the development of an interconnected grid.

Brazil has benefited from this solution.

Other countries have switched to fossil fuels when droughts affected their hydroelectric generation, but Brazil, thanks to its fully interconnected electricity grid, has been able to easily switch to other renewable energy sources or harvest rain from other parts of the country.

While droughts have affected hydroelectric power generation in Brazil and globally and are likely to continue to do so, continued expansion of electricity infrastructure should help to minimise the impact.

Brazil cuts hydropower use as droughts hit global electricity production

ByJasper

The global water crisis

A possible solution: network expansion

By Jasper

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