Brazil to supply energy to
Argentina to cover shortage
May 2, 2008 - The Associated
Press
Brazil's Energy Minister says
the country will supply Argentina with energy
to make up for a shortfall during the upcoming
Southern Hemisphere winter.
Minister Edison Lobao said Friday
that Brazil will provide 800 to 1,500 megawatts
of energy from hydroelectric dams and thermoelectric
plants, enough power for as many as 1 million
homes.
Argentina will pay for part of
the energy and will compensate for the rest
by sending energy to Brazil at year's end -
summer in the Southern Hemisphere - when energy
needs drop, Lobao said.
"We have to help our Argentine
brothers," Lobao said after meeting with Argentine
Planning Minister Julio de Vido.
De Vido said the amount of energy
Argentina needs will depend on how cold it gets
this winter, which starts in June.
Argentina restricted energy supplies
during last year's harsh winter. The country
tried to get a share of the natural gas Brazil
buys from Bolivia, but Brazil refused.
Economic growth in Brazil and
Argentina has led to an energy crunch in South
America's biggest nations.
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