Located in Paulínia within the Campinas Metropolitan Region, one of Brazil’s highest load centers in São Paulo state, the facility holds 23.4 MW of installed capacity with 21.3 MW contracted for firm energy delivery. The plant generates sufficient electricity to serve approximately 300,000 people while providing dispatchable capacity to strengthen grid reliability during peak demand periods.
The generation process relies on biogas captured from organic waste decomposition at the Ecoparque de Paulínia landfill. Following purification and conversion to biomethane, the fuel powers specialized engines designed for high-efficiency electricity production. This waste-to-energy conversion prevents approximately 80,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions annually that would otherwise be released from landfill operations.
Alexandre Americano, founder and CEO of Mercurio Partners, characterized the project as reinforcing the company’s commitment to assets that strengthen Brazil’s electrical grid security and resilience. The facility’s integration demonstrates the technical and commercial feasibility of converting urban solid waste into baseload power generation capacity.
The project establishes Paulínia as a national reference in sustainable energy innovation by combining circular economy principles with renewable electricity production. The plant’s successful entry into commercial operation through the capacity reserve mechanism validates biomethane as a viable dispatchable renewable resource for Brazil’s power matrix. The model addresses both energy security requirements and environmental impact mitigation through the productive use of municipal waste streams that would otherwise contribute to atmospheric pollution.
This article was curated and published as part of our South American energy market coverage.
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