16 September 2013: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a paper in its Partner Country Series investigating drivers of energy investments in China and Brazil, potential for inter-firm technology transfer in those economies, and government-sponsored initiatives and programmes that facilitate this type of technology transfer.

The paper, titled “Energy Investments and Technology Transfer Across Emerging Economies: The Case of Brazil and China” considers the effects of the ramping up of bilateral relations between the two countries, focusing on the Chinese investment of US $18.2 billion in the Brazilian energy sector from 2005 to 2012. It explains that this was facilitated in part by the 2004 establishment of the China-Brazil High-Level Co-ordination and Co-operation Committee (CBHCCC), including a subcommittee on energy and mining. It notes, however, that despite these significant investments and political collaboration, significant potential for further increasing technology transfer between the two countries remains.

In addition to considering complementarities and trends in oil and gas, the report also considers wind energy and transmission networks. On wind energy, it looks at drivers of Chinese wind investments in Brazil which has some of the highest wind capacity in the world but lacks domestic technology and experience to capitalize on this resource. It notes that significant investment and joint research and development opportunities exist in this sector. On transmission, the report considers the significant potential for utilize Chinese smart grid and ultra-high voltage (UHV) technologies in expanding the Brazilian electricity grid. [IEA press release] [Publication: Energy Investments and Technology Transfer Across Emerging Economies: The Case of Brazil and China]