Brazilians must reduce energy consumption due to energy crisis

Brazil's Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque warned that the country is facing a worse energy crisis due to the ongoing drought which has led Water reserves at hydropower plants to fall to their lowest level in 91 years of records.

"Today I return to inform you that our hydroenergy conditions have worsened," Albuquerque said in a televised national address. Brazil depends mainly on Hydropower.

"The rainy season in the south was worse than expected. As a result, the reservoirs of our hydroelectric power plants in the southeast and midwest suffered a greater reduction than expected,” he added.

The minister said that Brazil lost hydropower output equal to the energy consumed by the city of Rio de Janeiro in five months due to the drought.

He called on Brazilians to reduce energy, adding that the government agencies are to cut electricity consumption by 20 percent.