Brasília, June 3, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - During the International Conference for Renewable Energies, in Bonn, Germany, Brazil signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany to cooperate in the area of alternative energies.
The document, which was signed yesterday (2) by the Brazilian Minister of Mines and Energy, Dilma Rousseff, the German Minister of Environment, Jurgen Trittin, and the executive secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment, Cláudio Langone, foresees the exchange of information and a partnership between the two governments in projects for the development of non-polluting renewable energies from eolic, solar, biomass, geothermic, and hydrogen sources, for example.
The controversy over the inclusion of hydroelectric power plants in projects for the generation of renewable energy was not mentioned in the memorandum. Environmentalists do not want this issue to be discussed at the Bonn forum. "Our interest here is to promote clean energies; the debate over power plants should take place in Latin America. That debate requires the participation of society and the Brazilian Congress," affirms the Greenpeace coordinator of Policies for Latin America and the Caribbean, Marcelo Furtado.
Representatives of NGO's in Brazil asked Minister Rousseff and representatives of Latin American governments to use their speeches today to promote agreements for the development of renewable energies without mentioning hydroelectric plants. In reply, the Minister said that she will respect the Platform of Brasília, a regional agreement signed in October, 2003, for the development of renewable energies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rousseff will speak on behalf of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Some Latin American countries, including Brazil, defend hydroelectric power plants as sources of renewable energy. Environmentalists affirm that large-scale hydroelectric plants cause serious socio-environmental problems. Representatives of NGO's in Brazil also conversed with the German Minister, Jurgen Trittin, who assured them that Germany has no interest in developing nuclear energy and stated that he sees renewable energy as the future solution for socio-environmental problems.
Rousseff said she is open to suggestions for agreements in this area. One of ones she received is for the nuclear agreement between Brazil and Germany, responsible for the construction of the Angra I, II, and III nuclear plants, be substituted by an agreement geared to alternative energy. "We suggested to the Minister that Germany repurchase the Angra III equipment, which is disactivated, and Brazil use the money for a renewable energy project that will generate the same amount, but without impacting the environment," says Marcelo Furtado.
The Conference, which ends tomorrow (4), is a continuation of the Rio+10 Conference, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, and provides an opportunity for representatives from 150 countries to advance the renewable energy agenda. At the Rio+10 Conference, Brazil supported a proposal to increase the share of renewable energy sources to 10% of the global energy matrix by the year 2010.
Reporter: Nádia Faggiani
Translator: David Silberstein
