USA want to use Itaipu’s surplus energy to feed Datacers

Statement by the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that the country is eyeing the surplus energy generated by the Paraguayan part of the Itaipu Binational Plant.

During the hearing of the US Senate Foreign Commission on Tuesday (20), Rubio suggested that US companies buy this surplus to feed data centers working with artificial intelligence.

“Paraguay has a long -term agreement with Brazil by which it sells 50% of the energy produced. This contract has expired and are trying to see what they do with these 50% that no longer go to Brazil. You can not put this energy in tanks and send it to other countries,” he said. He also stated that “if someone is clever, he goes to Paraguay and will install an AI factory there.”

Rubio’s speech occurs at the time the negotiations between Brazil and Paraguay are suspended about a new agreement related to Itaipu. In 2023, he won the instrument that was in force for 50 years, according to which the two countries divided the energy produced and Brazil could buy the Paraguayan surplus, since the neighboring country does not use its entirety.

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Paraguay, which has a considerable part of its income in this surplus, wants to increase the price of the paid fare throughout Brazil. Brazil tries to maintain the current price over 2025.

Last year, the two countries signed a pre-agreement that authorized Paraguay to sell this energy directly to Brazilian industries.

In the midst of this process, at the end of March was reported an alleged hacker attack, via the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin), to authorities Paraguay, which would be related to the negotiations about Itaipu.

At the time, the Planalto Palace issued a note in which it denied “categorically any involvement in intelligence action” against Paraguay. The aforementioned operation, he said, “was authorized by the previous government in June 2022, and made it ineffective by ABIN’s interim director on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current management became aware of the fact.”

According to the International Energy Agency (AIE), electricity consumption on datacers should more than double by 2030 due to AI use and development. By 2024, Datacers accounted for about 1.5% of global electricity consumption, a percentage that increased by 12% in five years.

US, Europe, and China are currently responsible for 85% of Datacers consumption, which explains the interest of Americans in energy for this purpose, especially considering the connection between Donald Trump’s government and AI technology and developer companies.

With agencies