Weak rainfall raises power and water supply concerns

Brazil’s wet season usually serves as the annual reset button for water supplies and hydroelectric reservoirs. Instead, rainfall has been below average across much of the country, frustrating the electricity sector's expectations and sharpening concerns about water supplies in the country’s most populated metropolitan area.

Weather monitoring company Climatempo raised concerns about below-average rainfall in the Center-West and Southeast regions — home to Brazil’s main hydroelectric power reservoirs. During the wet season, which started in October, there were only two episodes of downpours strong enough to meaningfully lift water levels, one in December and another earlier this month.