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Brazil announces free power scheme for 17 million low-income homes during gas-fired power plant inauguration ceremony
6/8/2025
News
The Brazilian government is planning to improve access to energy for some of the country’s poorest families by providing financial support to those struggling to pay for electricity. The announcement came as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira officially inaugurated the 1.7 GW GNA II natural gas-fired thermoelectric plant, in Porto do Açu, Rio de Janeiro, the largest in Brazil.
Highlighting the government’s commitment to social justice and increasing the income of the most vulnerable families through programmes created by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), such as Luz do Povo (Light for All) and Gás para Todos (Gas for All), President da Silva said: ‘From now on, in this country, anyone who consumes up to 80 kWh of energy will no longer pay for electricity. And anyone who consumes up to 120 kWh will pay the difference. We will guarantee that 17 million poorer families will have free gas to cook their beans and rice.’
MME Minister Silveira added: ‘Ten thousand direct jobs were created in the construction of this new plant alone. Not to mention the two professional qualification programmes offered: 750 workers have already been trained, and 25% of the vacancies in the last programme were reserved for women. This is gender equality in the electricity sector.’
Silveira and Emmanuel Delfonse, CEO of Gás Natural Açu (GNA), the plant operator, also signed a letter of intent at the inauguration ceremony, to invest in the development of further energy and natural gas projects. Part of the National Integrated Natural Gas Infrastructure Plan that aims to expand Brazil’s natural gas market, improve energy security and support the federal government’s energy transition plans, the initiative will also help consolidate the Port of Açu’s position as one of Brazil’s main gas and energy hubs.
Accounting for approximately 10% of Brazil’s total gas-fired installed capacity, the GNA II combined-cycle plant features three gas turbines and one steam turbine. It boasts 62% energy efficiency, the highest in the Brazilian market, according to the MME. The Ministry also reports that the plant is capable of using up to 50% hydrogen in its operations, ‘positioning it as a benchmark for a fair and sustainable energy transition’.
The GNA II plant is integrated with the operational GNA I facility, increasing the Porto do Açu LNG regasification terminal’s installed capacity to 3 GW.
According to the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy, gas accounts for about 7% of electricity consumption in a grid dominated by hydropower and renewables. Brazil consumed 31.4bn m3 of gas in 2024, marginally less than northern neighbour Venezuela, which has only a tenth of its population (29 million versus 212 million).
GNA I power plant, Porto do Açu, Brazil
Photo: GNA
