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The company will invest 73.6 million dollars in the expansion of its factory located in Extrema (Minas Gerais), which will be one of the main ones in Latin America, in a project that is designed in two phases to allow a planned growth of 25 percent. cent a year.
UCB Power, a Brazilian multinational specialized in energy storage solutions, has announced the expansion of its production activities in Extrema, Minas Gerais (MG), with the aim of locally manufacturing energy storage solutions from the UBESS (UCB Battery Energy Storage) range. System). The investment planned until 2028 is 380 million reais and has the support of Invest Minas, the investment promotion agency of the government of Minas Gerais, as well as the government of the state of Minas Gerais itself through tax incentives and financing of special lines of credit.
In an interview with pv magazine , the CEO of UCB Power, George Fernandes, stated that he believes that the market will grow exponentially in the coming years, due to the need for storage throughout the system, from photovoltaic plants to batteries. automotive. «The expansion of our facilities and the maturation of the market will be important factors to consolidate the storage sector in the country. By investing in the necessary electrical infrastructure, we will have a more sustainable, dynamic and electrified economy. There can be no better time to be in the battery, electrification and energy storage sector than now. "We have everything necessary to be leaders in this transformation." In total, the company expects to create about 400 jobs with its investments when the project is completed.
The manager also highlighted that part of the strategy involves offering storage solutions to the electricity sector. “Energy utilities should be an important part of our demand in the medium and long term, with increasingly larger systems, as is already happening abroad,” says the CEO. For the coming years, Fernandes expects UCB Power to maintain annual growth of around 25%, as has already happened.
UCB Powers investment will be made in two stages, with a view to the strategic, efficient and safe implementation of new production lines. In the first phase, scheduled for 2024/25, the funds will be allocated to the expansion of the current Extrema (MG) plant, while in the second phase, projected for 2025/26, land will be rented to accommodate the jump in production , which will be the companys third plant in Brazil. In addition to the Extrema (MG) plant, the company has a battery factory in Manaus, where part of the production will be used to scale BESS solutions.
«The initial phase will allow us to establish essential operations and optimize final processes, guaranteeing quality and efficiency in production. This will allow us to plan the next important step in the expansion of our production capacity with greater security and assertiveness,” says Marcelo Rodrigues, vice president of business and innovation at UCB Power. The executive points out that the first stage also aims to validate the evolution and market demand for the companys products.
This strategic approach will allow production to be dynamically adjusted based on market response, mitigating risks and ensuring that the operation is tailored to specific customer needs. In addition, the company will invest in a Product Engineering Laboratory with a focus on after-sales to meet the demands of BESS equipment, which will also have the function of consolidating partnerships with local universities and teaching and research centers.
Support and incentives from the State of Minas Gerais
«One of the priority objectives of the government of Minas Gerais is to promote the energy transition of the State. Several private investments have already been attracted by the Zema administration in that direction, in segments such as clean energy, low-carbon technologies and the Lithium Valley itself, which seeks to promote an entire productive chain, from end to end, from extraction to manufacturing. of high value-added products,” highlights the Undersecretary of State for Economic Development, Kathleen Garcia.
For Fernandes, the country has a great vocation for the exploitation of lithium, an essential mineral for the production of battery cells, and he affirms that "it is a matter of national policy, since there is no way for Brazil to be a country with a great lithium reserve without having local cell producers at the center of the storage market expansion strategy.
Regarding the electric vehicle segment, the CEO of UCB affirms that, despite the growth, the country is still four to five years behind in the general electrification of the electric vehicle fleet, largely because it already has ethanol , less polluting than gasoline. «The combination of a hybrid vehicle, powered by ethanol and a battery, seems to be the path that Brazil should take in the coming years and this is also our bet. In addition, we must invest strategically in the manufacturing of batteries for fully electric vehicles and take advantage of all the advantages of electromobility in the country,” concludes Fernandes. |
