Grupo Moura Expands 8 GWh BESS Manufacturing in Brazil

The growth of the energy storage market in Brazil has created new opportunities for the industrial sector in the Northeast. Grupo Moura has announced an estimated investment of 200 million reais to expand its manufacturing infrastructure for battery-based energy storage systems, or BESS, in Belo Jardim, located in the Agreste region of Pernambuco.

The expansion is designed to increase the company’s annual supply capacity to more than 8 GWh. The project integrates technology from the Chinese firm CATL with assembly, integration, and industrial operations conducted within Brazil.

This initiative comes on the eve of Brazil’s first auctions dedicated to contracting battery-based energy storage systems, which are scheduled for December 2 and 4, 2026.

Belo Jardim is positioning itself to compete in a new energy sector.

The investment expands the operations of a company with nearly seven decades of experience in battery manufacturing. Founded in 1957 in Belo Jardim, Moura has built an industrial complex in the municipality that serves various sectors, including the automotive, industrial, and energy storage markets.

According to the company, the expansion of approximately 200 million reais combines recent investments with a new cycle of modernization for its production infrastructure.

Furthermore, the company has experience in more than 40 installed storage projects in Brazil, with applications in sectors such as industry, agribusiness, health, sanitation, and entertainment.

The partnership with the Chinese firm integrates advanced technology with local manufacturing capabilities.

Moura operates in partnership with CATL, a Chinese manufacturer of batteries and energy storage systems. The collaboration between the two companies began in 2020, initially focusing on technical support, maintenance, and after-sales services for lithium batteries.

The scope of this cooperation has expanded to include the supply of systems for projects that will compete in the Brazilian auction.

Under this model, CATL contributes its technology and international expertise, while Moura handles the industrialization and integration of the equipment in Pernambuco.

This strategy aims to meet the domestic content requirements stipulated for one of the auction categories.

The domestic content ratio for the project could reach 60%.

A key feature of the project is the effort to increase the share of Brazilian industry in the energy storage supply chain.

Spartacus Pedrosa, the lithium operations director at Grupo Moura, stated that the company is pursuing an assembly and integration route that could achieve a local content ratio of between 50% and 60%, depending on the specific nationalization criteria applied.

This strategy may also streamline access to BNDES financing lines, provided the equipment meets the necessary accreditation requirements.

The first Brazilian battery auction is scheduled to take place in December.

The National Electric Energy Agency has approved the bidding documents for the first two capacity reserve auctions dedicated to battery storage systems.

The initial auction, scheduled for December 2, will be reserved for projects that meet domestic content requirements. The second auction, set for December 4, will operate under different nationalization rules.

Contracts awarded through these processes will have a term of 15 years, with power supply expected to commence in August 2028.

The systems are required to deliver power for up to four hours per cycle and may be activated a maximum of twice daily. This configuration allows the batteries to store energy and return it to the electrical grid during periods of peak demand.

The market is drawing the attention of companies

The scale of the opportunity is evident in the registration data compiled by the Energy Research Company. In August 2026, the agency reported receiving 6,091 project submissions for the auctions, representing a total capacity of 296,807 megawatts.

This volume also underscores market interest in energy storage solutions, although not all registered projects are guaranteed to participate in or win the competitive bidding processes.

The investment will bolster the state's industrial standing.

The expansion of the battery plant reinforces Pernambuco's position within the supply chain associated with the energy transition.

Beyond battery manufacturing, Belo Jardim hosts assembly, technology, and recycling operations. In 2025, the Pernambuco state government reported that Grupo Moura employed 4,114 workers in the state.

The new investment could increase demand for specialized professionals, industrial suppliers, and technical services. However, the company has not yet disclosed how many additional jobs it intends to create through the expansion.

By entering a larger-scale market, Belo Jardim begins competing for a share in an activity that is strategic for modernizing Brazil's power sector.

The challenge now is to convert the announced industrial capacity into effective contracts, local production, and new economic opportunities for the Agreste region of Pernambuco.