The Brazilian government is planning to privatize state-owned energy company Petrobras before the end of President Jair Bolsonaro's term in 2022, according to an Aug. 21 report by Valor Economico, citing anonymous sources. Why It Matters: If successful, the privatization could pave the way for a further liberalization of Brazil's energy industry after Brasilia previously sought to limit the company's public influence and monopoly over the country's upstream sector. Background: Bolsonaro broached the potential privatization of Petrobras during his election campaign in 2018. The proposal, however, would require congressional approval, and it remains unclear whether legislators would support the plan as it remains highly controversial.

Aug 23, 2019 - Kallanish Energy

Brazil’s chief minister of the house Onyx Lorenzoni said the government will perform studies to assess the privatization of state-owned energy firm Petrobras, Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported. The goals are to raise funds for the federal government and to foster a more competitive fuel market in order to lower the fuel price. However, the government is proceeding with caution as the Ministry of Mines and Energy is against the idea, Kallanish Energy learns. Petrobras will undergo examinations from the Ministry, federal public company Bndes and public infrastructure body Investment Partnerships Program (PPI).

Aug 23, 2019 - Bloomberg

Brazil is readying a plan to accelerate the sale of state-controlled assets as well as partnerships with private companies, as part of President Jair Bolsonaro’s push to shrink the public sector and spark investments. The federal government will put state development bank BNDES in charge of organizing and paying for feasibility studies, which are mandatory for asset sales and auctions and are crucial for their success.Brazil expects to raise US$ 323 billion over the next several years through auctions of licenses to operate infrastructure including airports, oil wells, and ports, and also through the privatization of state-owned companies such as the postal service and the mint.

Aug 23, 2019 - Steel Guru

World's largest manufacturer of lithium batteries and 100% electric vehicles BYD has now installed 1 GWp solar panels in Brazil. BYD a global leader in new energies is immensely proud to have contributed significantly to the south American country reaching the overall mark of 3 GWp installed, according to projections of the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy and data from Aneel. In 2017, BYD opened its second Brazilian factory in the city of Campinas, exclusively to produce PV solar panels. Two years earlier, BYD also set up an electric bus production line in Campinas, and also began selling electric vehicles and forklifts.