What's In Store for Hydropower in 2013? | Renewable Energy News Article

What's In Store for Hydropower in 2013?

One of the situations I am most interested in watching play out in 2013 is how Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s ambitious energy sector tax reforms ultimately affect hydropower in the country. Rousseff announced these reforms — intended to reduce residential customer rates by as much as 16.2% and industrial electricity prices by 19.7% to 28% — in September, and they took effect on Jan. 1, 2013. Rousseff says these reforms will help Brazil face the uncertainty of the world’s current global economic situation, decrease energy production costs, improve the country’s international standing, slow inflation, encourage investment, boost business productivity, increase employment and guarantee growth. As a result of these reforms, power sector auctions originally scheduled for 2012 were postponed to 2013. And news sources indicate Brazilian utilities have lost more than $15 bi...

Full article: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013...