On November 15 in Belém, the Brazilian Renewable Energy Mobilisation Committee of the Global Renewables Alliance delivered a letter to André Corrêa do Lago. Through this letter, the signatories listed requested support for renewable energy during the COP30 negotiations and reaffirm the private sector’s commitment to concrete actions that advance climate adaptation and mitigation goals.
To the Esteemed Presidency of COP30,
The Global Renewables Alliance (“GRA”), the international voice of the renewable energy private sector that brings together associations and companies from the global industry, respectfully submits, through this letter and the entities listed herein, our request for support for renewable energy during the COP30 negotiations and reaffirms the private sector’s commitment to concrete actions toward climate adaptation and mitigation goals.
A key factor has emerged in efforts to combat climate change: the need for clear and urgent implementation plans to reduce emissions. GRA and the signatory entities express concern over policy measures that run counter to this overarching objective: the energy transition as a pathway to mitigate global warming.
Brazil holds major comparative advantages, notably one of the cleanest power mixes in the world, with 93% of electricity generated from renewable sources in 2023 and around 50% of total primary energy from clean sources. The ability to combine the country’s natural endowment for harnessing renewable resources—water, sun, and wind—with investments geared toward reducing emissions and decarbonizing value chains has enabled significant advances on the policy and regulatory agenda over the past year. This effort by domestic and international businesses has produced a valuable regulatory and legal framework for the energy transition:
Law No. 15,103/2024: Energy Transition Acceleration Program (PATEN).
Launch of the Brazil Platform for Climate Investments and Ecological Transformation – BIP
The expansion of the renewable power mix has been enabled by the strength of hydropower generation—which represents the largest share of the mix with 110 GW of installed capacity—and has created a complementary effect for the uptake of other renewable resources that needs emphasis: in 2024 alone, Brazil added more than 18 GW of installed capacity, including 14.5 GW of solar and 3.3 GW of wind. By October 2025, more than 11 GW of renewable energy had been added to the national mix, most of it wind and solar.
Within this horizon of renewable expansion, our industry sector played an important role in a just energy transition by attracting, in 2024, nearly US$37 billion in clean energy investments and generating more than 340,000 green jobs, with the vast majority of investment coming from the private sector. These data indicate our organizational capacity, with internal investment targets, climate governance practices, emissions-reduction commitments, and participation in cooperative federal programs.
Investments in energy transition and emissions reduction should remain elevated in the coming years, according to our estimates. New green hydrogen and derivative plants, with final investment decisions expected in 2026, will account for investments exceeding R$60 billion and will spur the creation of more than 25,000 jobs during the construction phase alone. For these large projects to succeed, national and international negotiations—mobilized by the COP Presidency—play a fundamental role in coordinating measures to provide international climate finance incentives directed to renewable energy, with priority to developing countries.
The energy transition in Brazil also carries a strong social and regional component. The advance of wind energy has proven to be a driver of economic and social development in several regions, especially in the Northeast, where about 86% of the country’s projects are concentrated. The installation of wind farms has stimulated local economies, generated employment and income, expanded infrastructure, and strengthened regional value chains, creating opportunities in territories historically marked by socioeconomic challenges.
This movement reinforces the importance of a just energy transition capable of ensuring that the benefits of decarbonization reach communities and contribute to reducing regional inequalities, consolidating the transformative role of renewable energy in building a sustainable and inclusive future. In this light, as host of this important social dialogue on climate change, the Presidency should continue to encourage and facilitate engagement among government, the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society to operationalize proposals.
Despite the positive outlook, much remains to be done by the private sector: according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), global renewable capacity must be tripled by 2030 to keep global warming below 1.5 °C. This implies increasing annual investments from US$570 billion (2023) to US$1.5 trillion by 2030. However, beyond this challenge, the Brazilian grid faces important issues that must be addressed in the short and medium term to enable the investments needed for a 1.5 °C pathway. These are:
It is a fact that Brazil exhibits diverse socioeconomic, environmental, and regional characteristics that affect the Executive Branch decision-making and the management of the entire power sector. Nevertheless, legal and regulatory certainty are key to both developing the projects already announced and attracting other investors in technologies that drive regional development. The premise of legal certainty is foundational not only to the power generation sector, but to the various value chains—downstream and upstream—with potential to reduce emissions and attract international development bodies and agencies.
The need to focus on the transmission system—beyond being a strategic point when we consider climate resilience—is a structural solution for the safe and efficient integration of new renewable generators, reducing curtailment for these assets. For consumers, especially large, power-intensive ones such as major industries and green hydrogen and derivatives plants, strengthening the grids enables connection and project development and allows greater use of renewable sources across the country, which in itself fosters the development of industries, hubs, and electrification through renewable energy beyond current centers.
Finally, the proper management and operation of the national grid, as well as the harnessing of its potential, also depends on strengthened regulatory agencies with qualified technical staff and sufficient headcount to address, with due legal and regulatory rigor, the demands placed by market participants. Again, interaction among government, society, and business should be a priority pillar in achieving the outcome that COP30 seeks to deliver, in favor of national development.
From another perspective, we understand that we must avoid policies that increase emissions from Brazil’s power mix and that promote the country’s isolation from the international decarbonization movement—especially in a year when the nation is hosting the COP, with the mission of presenting to the world Brazil’s “green” potential.
In this context, it is important to highlight support for industrial development and its decarbonization through the adoption of national clean industry strategies and demand-side market mechanisms, including electrification and green hydrogen. Brazil can be a leader in these initiatives by strengthening policies that promote the export of products with a low carbon footprint.
(Re)carbonization of the power mix is reflected in the procurement of energy reserve capacity geared toward fossil-fuel thermal plants and the continued dependence on oil and gas in isolated systems, to the detriment of more efficient renewable solutions such as battery energy storage or hydropower reservoirs. This trend is noteworthy for moving contrary to the energy transition and to national and international emissions-reduction targets.
The Ten-Year Energy Expansion Plan—PDE, a document that outlines long-term perspectives for the energy sector over ten years—indicates growth in fossil generation and an increase in its share of effective power generation through 2034 (Graph 1). In this scenario, we stress that during the COP30 decision-making process, it is important to have an explicit commitment to transition from fossil to renewable sources, and not merely absolute growth in renewables.
Graph 1. Configuration of the PDE 2034 Reference Scenario in 2024 and 2034.
Sincerely,
The undersigned businesses and organisations
