América Móvil opens Brazil’s largest distributed generation biogas plant

América Móvil’s Claro has started using a distributed generation biogas plant capable of generating 4.65MW, according to the operator.

Built and operated by RZK Energia for the telecom group, the plant generates power from landfill waste and is the largest of its kind in the distributed generation segment in Brazil, Claro said in a statement.

The energy will be used to supply 2,991 units, including towers, datacenters and other structures owned by the operator.

The plant is located in Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro state, and is formed by a set of four motors connected to the city's municipal landfill, which receives 4,500t of waste each day from several municipalities in the state.

Claro estimates that the plant's biogas-fuelled operation will avoid the emission of roughly 15,723t of CO2 per year.

The initiative falls under the program "A Energia da Claro" (Claro's energy), launched in 2017, which aims to use renewable sources (mostly solar) and includes actions to protect the environment in all Claro's operations and facilities in Brazil.

The project is also intended to reduce Claro's costs and dependence on traditional power transmission and generation.

By the end of 2020, 40% of Claro's energy consumed in low-voltage units came from its own energy generation, according to the company.

In Brazil's mid-west region, all of the firm’s telecom operations are already consuming renewable energy, obtained through its own generation and clean energy purchase contracts in the free market, according to Claro.

Claro lists 52 exclusive plants in operation under its program, generating energy equivalent to the consumption of 240,000 homes, as well as others that are under development. Together, the active plants supply over 20,000 Claro consumer units.

This month, Claro added four more solar plants built by French renewables firm GreenYellow, its main partner in the distributed generation program, The new solar plants have a capacity of more than 25MW.

This is the second batch of solar plants commissioned by Claro from GreenYellow. In the first half of 2020, the French company completed four other solar plants with installed capacity of 19.3MWp.

BIOGAS

Biogas and biomass (sugarcane bagasse) are responsible for almost 9% of the electric energy generated in the country, according to data from the mines and energy ministry (MME). Some 64% of the total comes from hydro plants.

MME reported that there were 638 biogas plants in operation in Brazil at the end of 2020, which together generated about 5Mm3 of biogas per day.

RZK Energia is a subsidiary of Rezek Group, a Brazilian holding company with operations in the agribusiness, real estate and urban development sectors.

On its website, RZK Energia reports having 60 customers in six Brazilian states. They include Unilever, Carrefour and Brascabos, among others.

The company provides solutions for power rate reductions and energy efficiency in the distributed generation and free energy market, as well as private and public lighting.