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Chinese energy giant PowerChina has built a 425‑megawatt photovoltaic plant in Mauriti, northeastern Brazil, delivering clean energy to the grid and creating local jobs, with the project highlighting the vitality of BRICS cooperation as the bloc marks its 20th anniversary.
Over the past two decades, BRICS has grown into a major platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries. Since its inaugural summit in 2009, the grouping has grown to 11 full members and 10 partner countries.
China and Brazil, both BRICS members, have continued to deepen practical cooperation in green development and other fields in recent years. In Mauriti, Ceará state located in northeastern Brazil, a photovoltaic power plant invested and built by a Chinese company not only delivers clean energy to Brazil’s power grid, but also boosts local economic development through talent training and industrial spillovers, sketching a promising picture of win-win cooperation and a shared green future.
The Mauriti photovoltaic project has a total installed capacity of 425 megawatts. Its construction began in 2023, and the plant was put into operation in 2025.
Vinícius Martins, born and raised in Mauriti, is among the local employees at the photovoltaic project. With few relevant jobs available in the city, he spent nearly three years at a machinery manufacturer before joining the project in 2023. Drawing on his expertise and initiative, he developed a data platform in his spare time that won recognition from the management team. Today, he serves as a technical assistant, contributing to the project’s operations while advancing his own career path.
“We have the opportunity to learn something new every day. This exchange of experience and knowledge is very valuable for us Brazilian employees. Of course, I believe it goes both ways. We can also contribute our own strengths. This project has changed my plans for my career development,” said Vinícius Martins, a technical assistant of the photovoltaic project.
Locally, Vinícius is not the only employee who has improved his skills through the project. During construction, the Chinese side carried out more than 90 specialized training programs, cultivating a group of local professional and technical talents.
“To work on the Chinese company’s project, the local workforce received training and gradually grew into professional and technical personnel. In this process, a group of professional and technical talents was also cultivated,” said João Paulo Furtado, Mayor of Mauriti.
The changes brought by the project are not limited to talent training. The project has created a large number of local jobs and driven the development of related industries such as technical consulting and engineering construction.
“We have fully leveraged PowerChina’s advanced technological advantages and industrial chain strengths in engineering construction, new energy, power infrastructure and digital management, and combined them with Brazil’s local resource endowments and huge market, achieving complementary advantages and win-win cooperation,” said Diao Yanhua, Head of the photovoltaic project in Mauriti.
At the same time, the influx of a large number of workers and commercial demand into this inland city, which originally had a population of only about 45,000, has also boosted local housing, retail, catering and other industries, injecting new vitality into the place.
“Our sales have grown by about 30 percent over the past two years. That increase is quite significant,” said Guilherme Monteiro, a store owner.
Successful projects under the BRICS framework have come into the spotlight ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, which takes place in the India’s capital New Delhi on Saturday and Sunday.
PowerChina’s Brazil solar plant spotlights BRICS cooperation amid 20th anniversary
India, heavily reliant on China for electronic components, is seeking to strengthen its own manufacturing capacity by adopting technologies from its largest trading partner as the BRICS summit opens with trade cooperation high on the agenda.
As the BRICS summit gets underway, boosting trade within the bloc is a key focus. This year, China has become India’s largest trading partner, with electronics making up a significant share of that trade.
Pramod Yadav, director of AD Net, has been selling cables, mobile and laptop accessories, and monitoring cameras in New Delhi’s Nehru Place, where for decades Indians have come to buy, repair and upgrade their technology, for more than 20 years.
He has witnessed a shift from loose, unbranded imports brought in through grey channels to finished products and components supplied directly by major manufacturing hubs in China.
While India’s electronics manufacturing sector is seeing increased investment and ambition, significant gaps remain to be addressed.
“We need to focus more on things like molding machines and components, such as ICs (integrated circuits) and chips, right here in India. We should learn from China — observing how they manufacture these products and understanding their technology, so that we can then advance this sector in India,” said Yadav.
India imports more than 10 billion U.S. dollar worth of electronic components from China each year, spanning key categories such as displays, batteries, PCBs and camera modules.
China also remains India’s largest source of integrated circuits, with imports rising nearly 64 percent year on year.
India’s own semiconductor mission is racing to close that gap. But observers say a faster way to strengthen manufacturing in the long run would be to ease restrictions on the transfer of machinery and technical know-how.
“I think what it should be that we should allow the machinery and technology come in without any duty and any customs problems. So rather than people importing those products, they can manufacture here. It will create employment. Let technology import freely and rather encourage it,” said Mohammed Saqib, president of India-China Economic and Cultural Council.
India seeks China technology skills to strengthen electronics manufacturing
© 2023 Bastillepost. All rights reserved.
© 2026 Bastillepost. All rights reserved.

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