Brazil’s trade balance posted a surplus of $1.506 billion and a current account of US$7.208 billion in the third week of September 2020, with exports worth $4.357 billion and imports of $2.851 billion. The data were released by the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) of the Ministry of Economy.
Copel initiated two new R&D projects: one in the area of civil design of hydroelectric power plants, and the other aimed at assessing mercury emissions in thermal power plants, contributing to meeting the guidelines of the Minamata Convention. The total budget for the two initiatives is R$15.7 million ($2,9mm).
Industrial activity continues to recover and is already at pre-crisis level, according to the National Confederation of Industry (CNI). Installed Capacity Utilisation (UCI) reached 71%. This is the highest percentage for the month since 2014, when the ICU stood at 72%. The rate of increase in the number of employees reached 53.8 points in August.
Amerisolar, a multinational company specialised in the production of photovoltaic panels and the construction company MRV, have just entered into a partnership to supply equipment in several ongoing projects. In this way, the process will allow more savings and environmental preservation in the coming years. The companies will supply equipment for more than 30 developments in the country.
Governments and emerging market companies have sold more than $10 billion in social securities, increasing the volume of ESG emissions – securities that meet environmental, social and governance criteria – to $43.7 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. So-called green bonds still account for the bulk of ESG emissions.
The US reported that Brazil will have an additional preferential share of 80,000 tonnes to export sugar to the US in return for recent negotiations involving the extension of a tariff free ethanol import that benefits the US. This will increase the quota for Brazilian sugar in the US from 230,000 to 310,000 tonnes and, by law, will benefit only producers in the Northeast.
The federal government issued a decree that qualifies the Estrada de Ferro de Paraná Oeste (Ferroeste) in the Partnership and Investment Program (PPI) and creates the project’s governance committee. The goal is to increase the length of the railway, forming 1,370 km and reaching Maracaju, in Mato Grosso do Sul. There is an initial estimate of total investment of about R$ 8 billion ($1.5bn).
Banco Inter has become a member of the UN Global Compact Brazil Network. The bank signed a declaration aimed at global cooperation among business leaders to promote sustainable business practices. Banco Inter is allowed to act in local and international programs focused on several areas, such as Water, Food and Agriculture, Anti-Corruption, Human Rights and Labor, Energy and Climate.
Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) reported that it has updated its financial projections for the close of 2020. In the new figures, the company projects an adjusted Ebitda of approximately R$9.75 billion ($1.82bn) in 2020, which would be 34.5% higher than in 2019.
Orizon Valorização de Resíduos intends to start the construction of the Energy Recovery Unit (URE) of Barueri, in São Paulo, in the first half of 2021. The company will invest R$ 350 million ($64mm) in the project of waste to energy by combustion. The plant will have 20 MW of installed capacity and will use 875 tons of waste per day to generate electricity through direct burning of waste.
