By Leticia Fucuchima
SAO PAULO, Aug 27 (Reuters) – French renewable energy company Voltalia has received authorization from Brazil’s government to install a data center at the Pecem port complex in Ceara state, securing tax exemptions for the planned mega-project.
• Investment in the data center is expected to total 181.7 billion reais ($35.24 billion), Brazil’s government said in a Wednesday statement.
• The project will include expansion of wind and solar power capacity to supply the data center, as well as a reclaimed-water cooling system, it added.
• The approvals advance as Voltalia negotiates with potential customers for the facility, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, adding that lender Santander has been hired to seek offtake agreements.
• Santander and Voltalia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
• Voltalia’s project is the second major data center development at Pecem, where a facility contracted by TikTok owner ByteDance is also under construction.
• The region in northeastern Brazil has attracted projects partly because of its strong renewable energy base, with significant wind and solar power generation capacity.
• Brazil is seeking to establish itself as a global hub for the growing data center industry, a goal President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has set as one of his priorities.($1 = 5.1566 reais)
(Reporting by Leticia Fucuchima; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
