Main subsystem in the country should record the best water scenario since 2016

The water volume of reservoirs located in the Southeast/Midwest of Brazil should exceed 58% of maximum capacity by the end of February, according to the projection of the National Electric System Operator (ONS), released this Friday (4).

With the recovery of the plants this month, the subsystem can record the best level since April 2016, when water levels were 58.27%

.Data compiled by CNN show that the Southeast/Midwest subsystem, responsible for about 70% of Brazil’s energy generation, reached its worst moment in September 2021, when it registered only 16% of total water capacity. In the period, Brazil experienced the worst water crisis in the last 90 years, according to the ONS.

The good results of the subsystem for the recovery of the subsystem are related to the increase in the volume of rain. For at least five consecutive weeks, the reservoirs in the Southeast/Midwest have benefited from above-normal rainfall.

For February, the trend is for the region to register a volume of rainfall 8% greater than the historical average, according to the national operator. In absolute values, the subsystem should have 76,743 Megawatts of power during this period.

“The performance of a frontal system over the South and Southeast regions causes precipitation in the basins of these regions, being higher than the weekly average in the basins of the Grandes, Paranaíba, upper São Francisco and upper Tocantins rivers.

Compared to the estimated values ​​for the current week, a rise in the inflows of the Southeast/Midwest subsystem is expected for the next operative week”, highlights the ONS.

Above-average rainfall will also benefit all regions of the country, not just the Southeast and Midwest of Brazil.

The most recent ONS bulletin shows that the Northeast subsystem should increase from 74% to 79.4% of total capacity by the end of the month. The North and South regions will remain stable and should reach 70.3% and 34.7% in February, respectively.

Demand for electricity in Brazil remained stable, with an increase of only 1.2% in February 2022, when compared to the same month last year. If, on the one hand, the economic recovery in the country, due to the best epidemiological scenario, increases the energy load demanded, on the other hand, the rains reduce the use of light. This is because, in milder temperatures, people tend to use less appliances such as air conditioning.