RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO, Sept 19 (Askume) – Brazilian energy officials have approved the resumption of daylight saving time to save energy, a senior official said on Thursday, as the country battles a severe drought that has hit power generation .
The reintroduction of daylight saving time requires the support of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to take effect.
A prolonged drought in Brazil has affected some of the country’s largest hydroelectric plants, including two powered by the Amazon River , forcing the country to import more energy and causing electricity bills to rise .
Despite growing wind and solar power in Latin America’s largest economy, more than half of its electricity still comes from power from rivers and lakes.
Reservoir levels near major hydroelectric plants in the Southeast and Midwest are expected to remain below 50% by the end of September as rainfall in the region has dropped to less than half of normal levels.
Moving the clocks forward an hour between November and February allows for more sunlight hours during daylight saving time and relieves pressure on solar farms in the late afternoon when they stop producing power as the sun sets.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro abolished daylight saving time in 2019, arguing that daylight saving time would no longer benefit the power industry.
Mining and Energy Minister Alexander Silvera told reporters on Thursday that national grid operator ONS has recommended a return to daylight saving time and the Energy Council, which represents energy entities, has approved the potential move.
But the minister also expressed some reservations, saying he wanted to evaluate options, although earlier this week he expressed support for the return of daylight saving time, calling it “a very important reality.”
Some industries welcomed the potential change from previous policies.
Pubs and restaurants are supporting the move as local association Abracell estimates that the additional opening hours from 6pm to 8pm will increase customer numbers and raise monthly revenue by at least 10%.
However, moving clocks forward an hour would complicate airline schedules and lead to additional costs in relocating crews.
