EDP will support the renovation and restoration works of the Museu do Ipiranga, in São Paulo, which has been closed since 2013. The announcement is being made on the anniversary day of the city of São Paulo, 25th January.

EDP, which operates in the sectors of production, transportation, distribution and commercialization of energy in Brazil, will give a support of R$ 12 million, approximately 2.8 million euros, through the support of the Federal Law of Incentive to Culture. This is the first contract to be agreed with the University of São Paulo, the institution that manages the Ipiranga Museum. The work is expected to last 30 months and the reopening is scheduled for 2022, the year that marks the bicentenary of the Independence of Brazil.

"This is a historic moment, with the approach of the bicentenary of the Independence of Brazil. As the largest Portuguese investor in the country, EDP could not fail to be present at such an important event, together with the local authorities and the University of São Paulo. The Ipiranga Museum is a heritage that connects the memory of Portugal and Brazil and is at the heart of the Brazilian people", says Miguel Setas, president of EDP Brasil. "We have hope that other companies will join us and be part of this business group that will support the reconstruction of the Ipiranga Museum," adds the leader of EDP Brazil.

The Ipiranga Museum is fundamental for the understanding of Brazilian society and has a collection of more than 450 thousand pieces, including objects, iconographic and textual documents, that date up to the middle of the 20th century.

The Museum was opened to the public in 1895 in the building-monument of neoclassical architecture where the proclamation of the Independence of Brazil took place in 1822, by D. Pedro I, at the banks of the Ipiranga River. One of the best known works of the collection is the painting called "Independence or Death", painted in 1888 by the artist Pedro Américo. Closed since 2013, this cultural space received an average of 350,000 visitors per year.

Commitment to Brazilian historical heritage

EDP has as a value, the support of culture and arts in Portuguese speaking countries. The valuation of the language is a flagship of EDP group, which has already committed itself to be the largest sponsor for the reconstruction of the Museum of the Portuguese Language, in São Paulo, in an investment of R$ 20 million to be made up to 2019.

About EDP Brazil

With more than 20 years of experience, EDP is one of the largest private companies in the electricity sector operating throughout the value chain. The company, which has more than 10 thousand direct and indirect employees, works in the production, transport, distribution, commercialization and energy services.

EDP has six hydroelectric generation units and one thermoelectric plant in Brazil, and has about 3.4 million customers in São Paulo and Espírito Santo. Recently, it became the main shareholder of CELESC, in Santa Catarina.