The State Government began negotiations with a German delegation interested in investing in renewable energy and a green economy in Santa Catarina. European businesspeople, led by Peter Von Bohlen Und Halbach, founder and partner of VBH, discussed the issue with vice-governor Marilisa Boehm on the 13th, in Florianópolis.

“That first meeting was very valuable. A very important meeting with the Germans, who brought several projects that we can absorb here in Santa Catarina. And we will also be able to form partnerships with them, bringing companies to the state”, stated the vice-governor.

The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Juliano Froehner, explained that the State has other investment projects that match what German businesspeople are looking for, such as energy transition, use of waste and biomass, for example. “And the model that was suggested here today for working on the environment and the green economy has an excellent combination with the modeling that we predicted. There was a very good alignment. We will most likely quickly start with a pilot project in the area of carbon credits. Including the PSA, which is Payment for Environmental Services. This means that we will have a very large reach in one of the topics of the Government Plan, called “Greener” which intention is to show that Santa Catarina is a strongly sustainable state”, he explained.

Rodrigo Carrijo Lino, representative of the German group in Brazil, highlighted that the project is “an excellent initiative”. He also reported that it is something with a lot of potential for possible joint action. According to Froehner, a technical meeting to discuss the matter is the next step in the negotiation.

The Secretary of the Environment and Green Energy, Ricardo Guidi, considered the meeting productive mainly due to the Europeans’ interest in trading carbon credits. “It is something that we have already been discussing within the secretariat, starting a process so that we can initially certify our state parks. And with the resources from the sale of carbon credits, we will be able to make Santa Catarina greener with the PSA, in which the resources can be used for farmers who preserve their springs and watercourses”, he stated.

Both Halbach and the other partner at VBH, Peter Eck, were impressed by the fact that the state has the 6th largest GDP in Brazil and only 1% of the national territory. “I’m happy to be in Santa Catarina because this is the future”, said the head of the delegation to the vice-governor.

The arrival of the Germans to Florianópolis, highlighted Marilisa Boehm, is the result of the State’s participation in the 28th annual United Nations meeting on climate change, COP28, held in the United Arab Emirates, in the second half of 2023. “They liked Santa Catarina’s proposal and assessed that the State has a very solid position on the green economy, always valuing environmental issues”, she concluded.

Text: Ascom GVG
Photo: Richard Casas/GVG