Value is expected by people from Pará, but Janja's suggestion depends on negotiation with the Paraguayan government; rule would allow a binational hydroelectric plant in Foz do Iguaçu (PR) to finance COP30 in Belém, 2,800 km away
The president's government Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) should use Itaipu Binacional, a state-owned company that controls the hydroelectric plant in Paraná on the border with Paraguay, to invest in Pará and assist in the works for COP30, the UN Climate Conference (United Nations). The event will be in Belém (PA)in 2025.
According to the Power360people from Pará expect at least R$1 billion from the company, which would be added to the R$3 billion already announced by the BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development).
The Planalto plan depends on the negotiations ongoing discussion between the Lula government and Paraguay on the value of the tariff that Brazil must pay for energy. The uncertainty hampers the state-owned company’s budget. If the impasse continues, Planalto will have to find another option to finance Belém.
The Itaipu plant is managed by the state-owned Itaipu Binacional, which reported in a note that “at the moment there are more important issues to be discussed with Paraguay” and if you are going to collaborate with COP30, “More information will be provided in due course“.
The government maintains a cautious stance on the issue. The idea is that Itaipu's sponsorship in Belém is correct, but the value is still open.
It may even be greater than R$1 billion, but conversations should only take place after a resolution with the Paraguayans so as not to hinder negotiations with the neighboring country.
Planalto, for example, denies that there is a discussion of using the Paraná plant to contribute to COP30. Behind the scenes, however, only the value remains undefined. There was a meeting of ministers at the Civil House in January to discuss the matter, when negotiations advanced, but without a conclusion. There is no new meeting scheduled yet.
THE JANJA FACTOR
Since being confirmed as the host of the international event, Belém and the State of Pará have been looking for sources of resources to finance the necessary works in the city.
The federal government will have little direct participation with resources, being responsible only for the dredging work of the river that bathes the municipality.
This will allow larger ships to be used during the event as accommodation, as Belém's hotel capacity is much lower than necessary for the COP.
In this search, the first lady, Janja da Silva, would have been decisive in pointing out Itaipu, where she previously worked, as a viable option to obtain the necessary resources.
Itaipu is more than 2,800 km from the capital of Pará. Belém does not fall within the plant's direct area of influence, expanded in 2023 to cover the entire State of Paraná and the south of Mato Grosso do Sul.
In the case of COP30, the environmental compensation mechanism would be used, economic compensation for irreversible damage that can be allocated to other biomes, no matter how distant they may be.
Since returning to power, in 2023, Lula has used Itaipu as an option for investments and other issues. The state-owned company has already given in golf cart for Alvorada and allocated R$1 billion to cities in Paraná after expanding its area of operation, for example.
In April 2023, the general director of the state-owned company, Enio Verristated that the company would be “development service”.
In the case of COP30, Itaipu should be used as an escape valve for the government to limit investments in the federal budget.
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