Key wind project in Brazil stands a model of BRICS cooperation

The Serra da Palmeira Wind Complex, a key wind project in Brazil -- one of the five initial BRICS member nations -- has benefited from the New Development Bank and stands today as a model of BRICS cooperation while helping drive the South American country's renewable energy transition.

The BRICS cooperation mechanism marks its 20th anniversary this year. Over the past two decades, it 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.

In Brazil's northeastern state of Paraiba, a unique semi-arid ecosystem in the Caatinga ecoregion presents an abundant source of clean energy, as the wind blows in the ecoregion nearly 365 days a year. The Serra da Palmeira Wind Complex is taking advantage of that windflow with its 108 turbines capable of yielding 648 megawatts.

The installation was developed by CTG, the Brazilian subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation, with construction beginning in October 2023 and reaching completion two years later in October 2025. The project was a huge technical and logistical undertaking, involving the transportation of enormous pieces from port to the site, hanging and laying cable and raising of the 120-meter-high towers and 80-meter-long turbine blades.

Carlos Nascimento, an electrical engineer, helped to oversee the transformation of the landscape from beginning to end. He now expressed a deep personal satisfaction with his contribution to Brazil's sustainable energy independence.

"The Serra da Palmeira complex is CTG's biggest wind farm project outside China. This project is special because it can combine huge investments with adoption of technology and a beautiful partnership between Brazil and China," said Nascimento, Senior Operations and Maintenance Manager at CTG Brazil.

The project required a major investment of 800 million U.S. dollars. Thousands of miles away, in Shanghai, China, the New Development Bank played a key role in that funding, approving a 1.4 billion yuan (around 200 million U.S. dollars) loan in September 2025. CTG Brazil's Finance Director, Rodrigo Egreja, said that decision was critical for completing the project.

"Access to a large amount of resources, in this case, financing in Chinese currency at a very competitive cost, is fundamental because it brings financial predictability to the project and contributes to its return and viability. Financing from a BRICS bank also brings institutional credibility and reinforces the confidence of the partners involved," said Egreja.

Inside the site's control room, technicians monitor thousands of real-time data points coming from sensors and cameras, keeping close watch to maintain peak, six-megawatt energy flow from each turbine.

The company said it is optimistic about the project's commercial success, given the scale of its output.

Successful projects under the BRICS framework have come into the spotlight ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, set to take place in the Indian capital on Saturday and Sunday.

Key wind project in Brazil stands a model of BRICS cooperation

The world-renowned Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) celebrated its 105th anniversary in Beijing on Thursday, with the occasion highlighting the enduring history and fruitful results of health cooperation between China and the United States.

Founded by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1921, PUMCH has grown into a modern, comprehensive hospital integrating medical care, teaching and research, and stands as a living testament to the two countries' people-to-people friendship and academic exchanges in medicine.

"Medicine embodies humanity's shared pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. By its very nature, it fosters mutual understanding among people. It is this value consensus that has driven the development of medical exchanges between China and the United States across oceans, forging profound bonds through mutual learning and inspiration," said Zhang Shuyang, president of the hospital, in a speech at a conference in Beijing.

The Rockefeller Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1913 by American industrialist John D. Rockefeller, aimed to improve public health services and medical education. This establishment of PUMCH marked a milestone in the history of medical cooperation between China and the United States.

The conference highlighted the history of medical and health cooperation between the two countries.

"One hundred and five years ago, American and Chinese physicians, scientists and philanthropists made a decision that would dramatically impact the course of medicine, not only in China, but the entire world. The Rockefeller Foundation, partnering with the China Medical Board, invested not in commerce, not in politics, but in people. They brought the Johns Hopkins model of academic medicine to Beijing," said David Perdue, the U.S. ambassador to China.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce in China, pharmaceutical and medical cooperation between Chinese and American universities, institutions and companies has achieved fruitful results, especially in areas such as rare disease drugs, gene therapy and cancer treatment.

"We've seen the integration of excellence in clinical care and education research and public service. PUMCH remains a living testament to the enduring value of U.S.-China people-to-people friendship and academic exchanges in medicine," said Roger I. Glass, president of China Medical Board.

Experts believe that, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, China and the United States can work together to explore the application of digital health technology in remote medical services, medical data management and other scenarios, setting an example for global cooperation in digital healthcare.

China-US health cooperation highlighted as Peking Union Medical College Hospital marks 105th anniversary