The Alto Paranaíba project in Brazil is a living example of how to build a cleaner, more connected energy system, in even the toughest circumstances.
Brazil is enormous.
The fifth-largest country in the world spans 8.5 million square kilometers, and roughly half of South America’s total landmass falls within its borders. Its geography is varied and often challenging: from dense rainforests and vast savannahs to mountains and sprawling cities.
To meet the energy needs of the 213 million people in Brazil, the country uses a large, integrated network which transmits energy over long distances. And Brazil’s network is not just large – it’s clean. In 2023, 89% of the country’s electricity came from renewable sources, making Brazil a leader in sustainable energy among the G20 economies.
The Alto Paranaíba transmission project, one of Brazil’s largest electricity transmission initiatives, is continuing Brazil’s tradition of keeping households connected to clean energy. Extending from the state of Minas Gerais into the state of São Paulo, the project involved stretching 1,700 kilometers of transmission lines across rocky, hilly, forested land.
This would take hard logistical work, ambitious funding, environmental expertise and iron-clad project management to coordinate it all by deadline. Brazil’s project shows how a skillful mix of regulation, expertise and sheer determination combined to bring renewable energy to families across one of the largest countries in the world.
The first and most immediate hurdle: when it comes to titanic national projects, who foots the bill? In this case, it was thanks to a uniquely Brazilian body: The Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency), or ANEEL.
ANEEL’s framework provides predictable, long-term revenue streams and competitive project allocation, a model widely praised for mobilizing private capital towards public goals. Brazil’s experience shows that smart regulation can be a powerful tool to unlock the most critical resource for megaprojects: financing.
Through ANEEL’s systems, Neoenergia – a major Brazilian energy company and part of the Spanish group Iberdrola – secured almost R$2 billion (over 370 million USD) in financing. A proven corporate track record, coupled with strong partnerships, gave investors confidence that Neoenergia had the vision, resources, and expertise to turn a project proposal into towering transmission lines stretching across states.
Among the experts leading that effort was Bruno Tavares Coelho Meira.
Meira, an environmental manager on the project, acted as a central coordinator, orchestrating the project’s necessary environmental work alongside its construction. Keeping this symphony playing smoothly was no easy feat.
For example, in just one area of the project in the mountainous region of Guardo-Mor, workers had to transport teams, equipment and material to previously inaccessible areas, dig 5 meters into rock and earth, pour 60 meters cubed of concrete to support an anchor tower 25 meters high, manually erect 22 of these towers – and then stretch wiring cables between them.
Alongside the immediate challenges of hauling heavy equipment over long, unpaved distances, the project had to navigate Brazil’s complex permitting and environmental licensing regimes, especially given the extensive route and diversity of local stakeholders.
“My role was coordinating field teams across various themes such as archaeology, monitoring the vegetation suppression phase, social communication campaigns, and overseeing all environmental programs,” explained Meira.
Success hinged on a shared vision, strong coordination and constant communication.
Most importantly, community engagement and working with an environmental consultancy, Ambientare,, ensured that social and environmental programs met or exceeded legal and societal expectations, which was crucial for field access, local acceptance, and on-time delivery.
“Ambientara was crucial to the completion and implementation of the environmental programs,” said Meira, stressing that the project’s awareness and concern for the people and environment it would impact during building was what won communities’ trust and cooperation, even more than the economic wins that tend to hit headlines. Though more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs were created across the 35 municipalities, Meira noted that what struck him was the importance of community engagement and buy-in from the project phase.
Today, the nation’s ambitious undertaking is tantalizingly close to completion. As of October 2025, Neoenergia had completed the foundations, erected 99% of the towers, and laid 78% of the cables, a testament to the hard work across teams. “For me, the proudest moment was actually seeing the towers standing, with the cables laid, and the line being energized,” said Meira.
But Alto Paranaíba stands as more than a standout national success. It shows that despite an army obstacles standing in the way – geographical, logistical, cultural, financial – strong planning, strong partnership and strong support can overcome them all.
As we hurtle past 1.5 degrees Celsius, the need for renewable energy deployment has turned from an urgent priority to an action item now long past due. The model the team used, centered around communication, a shared sense of ownership, transparent goals, and making deliverables visible, serves as a template for future grid projects. “I believe the greatest lesson is to work in partnership,” concluded Meira.
