Brazil won’t buy gas to meet Olympic Games power demand
If Brazil does suffer electricity cuts during the Olympic Games in August, it will not be for lack of gas. (PA)
Brazil is the host of the 31st Olympiad, due to open on 5 August in Rio de Janeiro. Its preparations for the event have been unusually fraught. The country, which has a population of more than 200 million, was awarded the games in 2009 when it was enjoying a period of strong economic growth. It has since been hit by the double-whammy of a severe recession and a political leadership crisis. President Dilma Rousseff was stripped of her powers in May and faces impeachment after a crucial vote in the lower house of parliament in April went against her.
Electricity consumption tends to surge during major sporting events as millions of people tune in to watch television and hundreds of thousands travel to venues. The upcoming games will take place at 33 locations in Rio de Janeiro and five in Sao Paolo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasilia and Manaus. In 2014, when it hosted the World Cup, Brazil met power requirements by buying large volumes of LNG to replace generation from its drought-stricken hydropower facilities.