Lisarb Energy appoints trio in Rio as new regulation drives exponential growth in Brazilian renewables projects

Lisarb Energy, a fast-growing global renewable energy developer, welcomes three senior project finance professionals to its 30 strong global team – Caio Duarte, Chief Financial Officer; Marcelo Bastos Palheiros, Controller; and Gilson Lutebark, FP&A Manager – based in Lisarb’s Rio de Janeiro office.

Lisarb’s new appointments coincide with a doubling of renewable project registrations with Brazil’s federal energy agency, ANEEL, driven by a new regulatory framework for distributed generation (PL 5829/2019) which streamlines the planning and consenting process.

Today, Brazil generates 11.5 GW of solar energy which is forecast to be 125 GW by 2050, overtaking hydro as the country’s largest source of energy. As a growing solar developer and operator in Brazil, Lisarb has established offices in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Fortaleza and Teresina, and already has a pipeline of 52 locations across 12 states with 55 MW under construction; 277 MW ready-to-build; and 3.6 GW in development.

Gustavo Savelli, chief executive, chairman at Lisarb said: “During the 30 years since the UN Climate Summit in Rio, Brazil has led the way in renewables – particularly in hydro. As regulatory, social and environmental drivers shift the country’s energy mix from a few centralized dams and power stations to a more distributed grid, Lisarb has built a substantial pipeline of wind and solar projects. Caio, Marcelo and Gilson bring valuable connections and skills to help us deliver our existing pipeline, to identify new opportunities in Brazil and to support our expansion in Europe. I am delighted to welcome such highly experienced colleagues to the Lisarb team and look forward to working with all three as we prepare for a step change in our global growth.”

Globally, Lisarb has a pipeline of solar and wind projects in Brazil, Portugal, Spain and the UK totalling 4.3 GW. It has more than 500 MW of long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with world leading brands, such as Raízen, AmBev and TIM Mobile, who are seeking to boost their ESG credentials. Lisarb itself aims to balance profit with purpose and has created the Lisarb Foundation to reinvest in health and education initiatives in the communities near its renewable schemes.