The wind power generation in Brazil can be greater than originally planned, said Friday the president of the Energy Research Company (EPE), Mauricio Tolmasquim. He said the country's wind potential is much higher than estimated and could be the twice of what the government initially thought. Estimates made in the ten-year plan indicated a potential of 143 thousand megawatts.

"Measurements were made with fifty meters towers, and if they use new technologies, with eighty to one hundred meters towers, the wind will be greater and it would not surprise me if the potential is twice what is estimated there." - said Tolmasquim, in the event Apicmec-Rio on alternative sources of energy and capital markets.

He noted that there are already in operation in the country wind farms generating about 385 megawatts and they predict another 275 megawatts this year and another 685 megawatts next year.

"Of the program (Proinfa), the wind was undoubtedly the source that stood out the most." - said the president of EPE.

On November 25, EPE will promote an auction of wind farms to contract energy for the next 20 years, and the startup is planned for 2012. According to him, 441 projects applied for registration in the auction for a total of 13 thousand megawatts. Seventy-two percent of enterprises are located in the Northeast of Brazil.