Skip to content
Welcome, thoughtbot's Giant Robots listeners!Start here
Pahlavan
AI-generated illustration
OrganisationBR

Pahlavan

Data-centre developer behind three projects at Paulínia, São Paulo state.

Pahlavan came out of Brazil's first grid-access contest, on 6 and 7 October 2026, with two of three winning slots, and spent the same week in a federal appeals court defending capacity its older Paulínia contracts promised.

Last refreshed: 18 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Can a contract signed under Brazil's old grid rules survive the new auction?

Timeline for Pahlavan

#16 7 Oct

Won capacity for two of the three winning projects

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Brazil auctions its grid to data centres
#16 6 Oct

Brazil judge freezes Replan grid awards

Data Centres: Boom and Backlash
View full timeline →

Background

Two of the three projects that shared Brazil's entire 228 MW allocation on 6 and 7 October 2026 belonged to Pahlavan. The grid operator had offered that capacity at four São Paulo connection points, and seven qualified bidders wanted 451 MW between them.

Pahlavan fought a court case the same week. Its three Paulínia schemes had collected every permit the old access regime required: ministry ordinances, ANEEL authorisations, access opinions and signed transmission-use contracts. Under them each project would have grown from 71 MW to 157 MW of grid use in 2029, until the grid operator ruled that 86 MW rise unviable under the new policy. On 6 October a judge at the Tribunal Regional Federal da 1ª Região told ANEEL to decide Pahlavan's injunction requests within 48 hours and barred new awards at the Replan substation meanwhile. The order, the judge stressed, conferred no priority and set aside no capacity. ANEEL had published nothing by 17 October.

At stake is whether rights acquired under the old regime survive Brazil's switch to contested access. ANEEL had cleared Scala Data Centers' AI City campus to connect at 120 MW in September.

Common Questions
What did Pahlavan win in Brazil's first grid-access auction?
Two of the three data-centre projects that took all 228 MW offered at four São Paulo connection points on 6 and 7 October 2026. Seven qualified projects had asked for 451 MW.Source: Cenário Energia, 7 October 2026
Why did Pahlavan go to court over grid access in Brazil?
Its three Paulínia projects held signed transmission-use contracts under the old access rules, due to rise from 71 MW to 157 MW each in 2029. The grid operator found the increase unviable under the new access policy, so Pahlavan sought injunctions to protect it.Source: TAGD Law, 9 October 2026
What did the Brazilian court order on Pahlavan's Replan request?
On 6 October 2026 a judge at the Tribunal Regional Federal da 1ª Região gave ANEEL 48 hours to rule on Pahlavan's requests. Until it ruled, no new connection could be awarded at the Replan substation. The judge said the order granted no priority and reserved no capacity.Source: TAGD Law, 9 October 2026
Where are Pahlavan's data-centre projects?
At Paulínia in São Paulo state, seeking connection at the Replan substation.Source: TAGD Law, 9 October 2026
Source Material

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.