Brazil to import electricity from Uruguay

Brazil will import electricity from Uruguay as of May. The Electricity Industry Monitoring Committee says about 50 average megawatts are due to be bought from a converter station in Rivera, on the border with Brazil, in the first week of May.

The size of the energy imports from Uruguay will be discussed each week, based on demand and windpower prices in Uruguay.

Uruguay's Industry Minister Carolina Cosse said as of May 11, the energy will be transferred via a plant Uruguay's state-owned energy corporation UTE owns in Melo, another border city.

The committee said the risk of an energy shortage in 2017 is 0.7% for the Southeast-Central West subsystem, and nonexistent for the Northeast subsystem.

Energy trade with neighboring countries is a common procedure. Brazil also has agreements in place with Argentina to buy and sell electricity.

Translated by Mayra Borges