At the second workshop of 2025, held on June 6th, CINE and Cubo Itaú brought four experts from academia, industry, and government to the Cubo building in São Paulo to share their extensive knowledge on some of the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition.

The first presentation was given by Professor Paulo Artaxo (USP), one of the most influential Brazilian scientists in the world and an authority on environment, climate change, and air pollution issues. The speaker presented a solid body of evidence that humans are changing the composition of the atmosphere and that this is changing the planet’s climate. The data showed that the greatest efforts and investments must be made as soon as possible to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, limit global warming and mitigate its disastrous consequences. In this scenario, Brazil can stand out with its abundant sun and wind, its hydroelectric plants, its significant investment in bioenergy, and the high concentration of strategic minerals for the generation and storage of renewable energy.

The second presentation was given by Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who works as a coordinator at Eletronuclear, a Brazilian mixed-capital company that builds and operates thermonuclear power plants. The engineer’s lecture demonstrated that, although Brazil has the cleanest electricity grid in the world, energy security is not guaranteed given the increase in energy consumption, the variations in energy generation caused by climate change, and the enormous amount of electricity required by data centers. In this context, nuclear energy is a highly relevant option, as it allows for the meeting of large demands with very low carbon emissions. Furthermore, new technologies emerging in this sector allow for the production of smaller reactors that can be adapted, for example, to industrial applications.

Strategic minerals for the energy transition was the topic of the presentation by Henrique Vasquez, manager of FINEP. The speaker stated that, to achieve climate goals, the demand for some minerals must increase fourfold by 2040, in a transition from a hydrocarbon-intensive to a mineral-intensive economy. These minerals (such as copper, lithium, nickel, graphite, and zinc, among others) are used in the production of electric cars, wind turbines, solar cells, nuclear power plants, and other important technologies in the energy transition. The speaker also provided an overview of the availability of these minerals in Brazil and other countries.

Closing the event, Professor Mateus Giesbrecht (Unicamp), who coordinates the Energy Generation division at CINE, spoke about magnets based on rare earth elements, such as neodymium and samarium. These magnets, which are very strong in terms of magnetism, are fundamental components of electric motors and wind generators, where they provide the magnetic field necessary for their operation. Due to the energy transition, the demand for these magnets is expected to increase significantly within the next 25 years. In his presentation, the CINE researcher demonstrated that, although Brazil ranks third in rare earth oxide reserves, it does not participate in the processing and application of these elements, with China leading the way in mining and in all stages of magnet production.

CINE – Itaú

Since early 2024, CINE and Itaú have maintained a partnership to disseminate knowledge about the energy transition. This year, the activities are taking place within the Energy Transition Path—a series of four workshops on strategic topics to accelerate the decarbonization of the Brazilian energy matrix. The events are free and open to the public, with prior registration required.

“The activities we carry out within this partnership have yielded very positive results, with a real impact on the dissemination of scientific knowledge about the energy transition outside of academia and demonstrating all the market possibilities that new fuels are presenting,” said Ana Flavia Nogueira, Director of CINE.

More information about upcoming events.