Solar energy gains new momentum in the Northeast with a federal program that prioritizes data centers and green hydrogen.

Published 08/12/2025 às 20:52

Solar energy is expected to play a central role in a new program that the federal government plans to launch in the coming days. The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva He is expected to sign a decree this week that creates a specific mechanism to prioritize access to electricity transmission infrastructure in the Northeast. 

The initiative primarily targets large energy consumers, such as data centers and green hydrogen production facilities.

The objective is clear. The government wants to bring consumption closer to generation, taking advantage of the region’s solar and wind potential. By doing so, it seeks to reduce bottlenecks in the national electricity system and make the energy matrix more efficient.

New decree accelerates access to solar energy transmission.

The draft text establishes an accelerated process for connecting large projects to transmission lines. 

In practice, this will allow these projects to move forward in the queue currently managed by the National Electric System Operator (ONS).

This model was conceived as a direct response to the accelerated growth of solar energy in the Northeast of Brazil. In recent years, the expansion of renewable energy plants has exceeded the system’s absorption capacity, generating new operational challenges.

Energy surpluses and so-called reverse blackouts

The advancement of solar and wind energy has brought about a phenomenon known as reverse blackouts. These occur when there is an excess of generation during the day, especially during the period when solar production extends into the early evening.

At this point, photovoltaic generation drops rapidly. Because hydroelectric plants have a longer response time to come online, the system may experience instability. In some cases, these fluctuations result in power outages.

To address the problem, the ONS (National System Operator) has been implementing scheduled shutdowns of hydroelectric plants and other sources throughout the day. This measure helps to balance the system, but does not eliminate the risk completely.

Local consumption can ease pressure on the electrical system.

According to the government’s assessment, creating local demand associated with solar energy could significantly reduce stress on the electrical system. The estimate is for a decrease of up to 4 gigawatts in the current pressure on the grid.

By attracting data centers and green hydrogen plants closer to generation hubs, consumption occurs within the same territory where energy is produced. This reduces the need for long transmission lines and improves system stability.

The decree stipulates that connection requests made by data centers, green hydrogen plants, and other large-scale activities must be analyzed within ten months. During this period, projects will be prioritized in the technical evaluation.

After this initial phase, access to transmission networks will be organized through periodic auctions. The expectation is for at least two auctions per year.

Auctions will determine new connections to the network.

Each interested party must pay a participation fee and submit prior technical documentation. Projects offering the highest value for the connection rights will be selected, always respecting the expansion capacity of the existing infrastructure.

The revenue raised in these auctions will be used to reduce energy tariffs, creating an indirect effect of lower tariffs. In this way, in addition to stimulating solar energy in the Northeast, the government seeks positive impacts for the entire national electricity system.