In 2016, Enel Green Power (EGP) chose the town to build its new solar plants in Brazil. Comprised of two installations – Bom Jesus da Lapa (80 MW) and Lapa (78 MW) – the compound will generate 340 GWh a year, enough energy to fulfil the annual needs of 166,000 homes.
The plants are being constructed in an area with high levels of solar radiation and will significantly contribute to the generation of clean and sustainable energy. It is estimated that the Lapa Cluster will prevent the emission of around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. The initiative is part of Enel Group’s Open Power policy, which targets among other pillars opening energy to new technologies, finding new ways of managing energy and opening new partnerships.
Creating shared value
EGP’s arrival in Bom Jesus da Lapa goes beyond the power stations. Through the Enel Shares Opportunities programme, professional improvement options are offered to the people who live close to the solar plants. Lasting two months, the multipurpose builder and electrician courses are led in partnership with SENAI. The goal is to improve access to the job market, with certifications and practical experience to enable greater income generation to the community.
Community engagement, respect for diversity and cultural appreciation are also important to EGP. In addition to socioenvironmental actions, the company develops, in partnership with NGO Viração, the Young Generation project in the former slave communities of Araçá Volta and Lagoa do Peixe. Through meetings and workshops, young people are provoked to speak about culture, ethnic identity and politics, having the wisdom of their forebears, passed down orally through generations, as a starting point.
Games with sustainability and clean energy themes, drawing competitions, donation of education materials, the planting of school vegetable gardens and the distribution of guidebooks on organic farming and the natural control of pests are some of the other initiatives available.
“The reactivation of the vegetable garden is an opportunity to enrich the activities developed in the school and to promote the interaction between different disciplines”
Enel Green Power in Brasil
In Brasil, Enel Green Power is the leader in the solar energy market in installed capacity and project portfolio. In Bahia, as well as the compound in Bom Jesus da Lapa, EGP is building plants in Ituverava and Horizonte, in addition to the Nova Olinda plant in Piauí. All projects are committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
