ENGIE, the largest company in the private sector generating 100% renewable energy, has begun work on the implementation of the Serra do Assuruá Wind Complex in the municipality of Gentio do Ouro, situated 600 km from the state capital Salvador in the central-northern region of Bahia.
Following the regulatory order issued by INEMA (Instituto do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos, the state of Bahia environmental agency), by March 2023, brush clearance and topographic aspects were 50% concluded while drilling work was 80% complete. The project is to be developed in a single phase with an installed capacity of 846 MW and comprising 24 wind farms with 188 wind turbines. The work also includes 28 km of transmission lines connecting the complex to the national grid – Sistema Interligado Nacional – ensuring the offtake of energy to the entire country. The forecast is for commercial operations to begin in the second half of 2024.
With generator output of 4.5 MW each, the wind turbines stand 165 meters high, energy being directed to the Free Energy Market, the contractual environment in which companies can acquire energy directly from producers and choose their own source of generation.

Socio-environmental initiatives
One of the main characteristics of projects implemented by ENGIE and continuing once assets come on stream, is a close and constant contact with neighboring communities, both traditional and non-traditional. In this way, ENGIE executes private investment in social projects with direct benefits feeding through to the population.
The Company is currently at the project prospecting phase. To date, 57 proposals have been sent by communities located in close vicinity to the project, by local government departments and by associations with initiatives in the areas of education, healthcare, leisure and income generation. The program’s priority is to support projects which meet the needs of collectivity and have the potential for financial sustainability.

Intermediation of labor
At an estimated investment of R$ 6 billion, the Serra do Assuruá Wind Complex has the capacity to generate close to 3000 direct and indirect jobs in the region during construction work at its peak.
In this context, with a view to prioritizing the hiring of labor in locations surrounding the project, ENGIE signed a partnership agreement with the state of Bahia government’s SETRE (Labor, Employment, Income and Sport Department), through SINE, a state institution for intermediating labor hiring. The latter is responsible for running campaigns for the registration of potential candidates for the labor force as well as encouraging the development of quilombola and Fundo e Fecho de Pasto communities.
The aim is to foster professional employability in both traditional and non-traditional communities within the project’s area of influence. The process of intermediating the supply of candidates to the local workforce is conducted through the SINE agency in Gentio do Ouro which on identifying the vacancies offered by the contracted companies, undertakes the prospection, analysis, and referral for selection.
Professional qualification
As part of the process of promoting professional and social qualification in Gentio do Ouro, also in partnership with SETRE, ENGIE has provided support for the Bahia Qualification Program, offering 60 free vacancies for multipurpose bricklayers, reinforced concrete structure erectors and carpenters. In the case of theoretical and practical work site classes, half the vacancies were allocated to women. With certification being awarded on complete on 120 class hours, target audiences are found in low-income candidates with limited educational backgrounds, drawn from economic and socially vulnerable communities and where individuals are exposed to discrimination.
For Serra do Assuruá Wind Complex’s implementation manager, Paulo Muller, the project will contribute to the expanded offer of renewable energy to the Brazilian matrix and so driving the energy transition, one of ENGIE’s main pillars of activity. Muller believes that the wind complex will generate employment in the region, increasing the tax take for both the municipality of Gentio do Ouro as well as the state of Bahia. The implementation of social projects based on private social investment has already received the green light from the Company, the manager says.
As to the impacts of the Bahia Qualifying Program in Gentio do Ouro, Muller commented that SETRE is a strategic partner and provides critical support for these initiatives. “In addition to this, other actions are being prepared, including specific courses for the training of professionals also able to work in the wind turbine operation and maintenance area, the latter to be executed over the course of at least 20 years, reinforcing ENGIE’s commitment to the region”, Muller concluded.
ENGIE in Bahia
In Bahia, the company already operates the Umburanas, Campo Largo 1 and Campo Largo 2 Wind Power Complex, in the cities of Sento Sé and Umburanas, which together have more than 1 GW of installed capacity. The operation license of these wind parks is valid until 2054. In Gentio do Ouro, the company invests in the fourth Wind Power Complex of the state.