Imagine a hydroelectric dam… Of course, in this possible scenario, you assumed that there would be a work site with a reservoir, one of those that needs to be flooded with river water and which could pose a danger to the environment and the environment. community. Now change the perspective and exclude this reservoir from the hydroelectric project: would it be possible to generate energy without flooding sections of the riverbed, using only the natural flow of water?

This is one of the definitions that characterizes Aguas da Serra in the Catarinense Valley. There is no dam to hold back the water, making the project ineffective for the environment. Eder Pereira, electrical engineer at Grupo Ceesam, explains that energy production depends on the volume of water available in the Benedito River. “This is the positive side of working in this format, with less social and environmental consequences,” says the engineer.

Photo: Marcelo Feble

For BRDE, one of the biggest challenges is being able to strengthen relationships with cooperatives and producers. “Sustainability cuts through everything. We have a goal of being carbon neutral by 2050 and we will take that from a societal perspective. This includes a range of approaches: looking inward and supporting our clients to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations across Santa Catarina’s diverse regions,” says BRDE President João Paulo Kleinübing as an example.

The cooperatives of Santa Catarina have become an economic powerhouse, where the core engine is formed from the collective work of participants from a variety of sectors with common goals: promoting significant transformations and leaps to higher levels of development, a combination of productivity, innovation, growth and quality. life and social responsibility. This is about the active cooperation that Santa Catarina deserves.

About 80% of the Regional Development Bank’s operations are aligned with at least one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “The financial transaction itself, the line of credit, is just a bridge leading to the future we want to build by improving the quality of life in Santa Catarina,” adds João Paulo Kleinubing, president of the institution.

Among the UN requirements for sustainable development, which correspond to the BRDE positioning, there are such goals as:

• Clean and affordable energy
• Decent work and economic growth
• Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Responsible consumption and production
• Action against global climate change
• Partnerships and means of implementation

The Far South Regional Development Bank is preparing news for 2024. “We are working on next year the possibility of launching green bonds, supporting municipalities in assessing their natural heritage and how to measure it in numbers in order to charge for the maintenance of environmental services,” says BRDE President João Paulo Kleinübing.

Ceesam originated in 1960, when there was no electricity in the region. “We were sitting in a group, drinking hot beer at the bar table and thinking about how to resolve the situation,” recalls President Lorivald Beyer Beyer in a humorous tone. The group has gone through various managers and since 2006 has been developing solutions in partnership with BRDE for various initiatives related to energy production. In his opinion, “the union has always worked very well. We thank the management of the institution for their trust in our cooperative,” adds the president of Ceesam.

Photo: Marcelo Feble

The bank’s transformative potential is tailored to the uniqueness of each Santa Catarina region. According to Olavo Gavioli, BRDE Development Manager, “the small manufacturer buys inventory, modernizes the property, and we come into commerce, store redesign, equipment to help with maintenance, even industry itself, metal mechanics, plant modernization, in the expansion of various sectors.” .

In the case of Aguas da Serra, social benefits go beyond energy production. Lorivald Beyer, president of the Ceesam group, paints a picture: “We usually collaborate with public authorities on road works in Santa Catarina, cleaning city roads, planting seedlings, even trying to improve health care in the municipality.” The group has already started the sixth plant project and intends to continue developing solutions that will contribute to business development and improve the quality of life in the south of Brazil.

Photo: Marcelo Feble