Rapid growth of small hydro in Brazil

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The rise of small hydro power started in large part when the legislation streamlined much of the authorization process. From then on, nearly 7.7 GW small hydro capacity has got approved, with investments totalling 19 billion USD.

Nowadays, small hydro counts 3% of Brazil’s electricity production mix, and in this country 82% of electricity is from renewable sources, and around 70% from hydro power.

At the same time, Brazil again has an energy surplus after nearly 80 years. The surplus is also a consequence of an uptick of oil and gas production, as well as decrease of domestic electricity consumption.

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