Minas Gerais was the first Latin American State to join the Race to Zero Campaign, and its commitment to the climate change agenda was demonstrated during COP26 in Glasgow. In December 2020, the UK and the Brazilian state signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) confirming their intentions to further collaborate on strategic areas of mutual interest related to climate change ambition and decarbonisation.
The signature of the MoU has led to a number of collaborative activities, including the project Partnership UK-Minas Gerais In The Race To Net-Zero. The project aimed to enhance the UK-Minas Gerais partnership on the Race to Zero, increasing the knowledge of opportunities for collaboration between UK and local companies and attracting investment for joint net-zero test-beds and demonstrators in Minas Gerais.
The project’s main output was the Race to Net Zero: A Plan for Innovation in Minas Gerais. At a high level, the Plan aimed to analyse the energy market in Minas Gerais, its emissions, regional challenges and opportunities, and identify key levers for potential advancements in accelerating Minas Gerais’s transition to sustainable Net Zero ambitions.
It also aimed at incentivising collaboration among Minas Gerais’s key stakeholders: the State government, city governments, distribution network operators (DNOs), regulators, academia, industry, research and technology organisation (RTO), hubs and venture builders and a large number of companies and startups involved in the lowcarbon scene.
The Plan is available to download in English and Portuguese below:
