The predominantly hydroelectric power matrix gave Brazil a privileged position in the race for energy transition by placing the country among those that are cleaner than those burning fossil fuels for the same purpose. This predominance of clean energy, however, has shrunk in recent years. A study by Fiemg (Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais) shows a reduction from 97% to 89% in the percentage of sources considered clean since 1995.
The change in the matrix chart changes, shrinking the percentage of clean energy, according to Fiemg, due to the growth in the participation of non-renewable sources, mainly gas-fired thermal power plants. Coal and diesel thermal plants and nuclear power plants are also among the non-renewable sources (the latter is not considered dirty).
The percentage in relation to the total begins to grow in the 1990s and peaks from 2010, reaching over 20% of the total. These sources are activated according to the needs of the electrical system. In 2022, they accounted for 10.6%.
The shrinking share of clean energy was recorded despite the advance of other sources, such as solar, biomass, and wind power, which also took up space compared to hydroelectric generation, which reached 94.2% in 1995 and was 64% in 2022, according to the mining industry's analysis.
The industry entity is campaigning for the resumption of hydroelectric construction and sees willingness from the Lula government to put the issue back on the table. According to Flávio Roscoe, president of Fiemg, hydroelectric plants were "wrongly demonized as harmful to the environment." The last major hydroelectric project in Brazil was the Belo Monte plant in Pará, which has been surrounded by controversies and criticisms since its construction began in 2011, due to cost, environmental impact (it changed, for example, the course of the Xingu River), and socio-economic impact (it employed 25,000 workers, thousands of residents were resettled, and Altamira had the highest homicide rate in Brazil).