State Grid Corp of China is planning US$38 billion worth of investment in Brazil over the next five years, in both generation and transmission. Reuters reported the comments made by Qu Yang, vice-president of State Grid's Brazilian unit, at a conference in Sao Paulo. Investment in the transmission segment alone will total more than US$24 billion, said Qu. This could be ultra-high voltage transmission technology, and help to connect remote provinces generating wind and solar energy to major cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
China State Grid has evaluated the potential for solar and wind power in Brazil, including in the northeastern states of Bahia and Rio Grande do Norte, and in the south. According to Qu, more efficient transmission is the answer to concerns that wind developers will produce more energy than they can sell. State Grid Corp of China has a strong position in Brazil, following its acquisition of power distributor CPFL Energia for around US$9 billion in 2017.