São Luís and Macaé will be the stage for new natural gas projects by Eneva, which has been studying the feasibility of implementing gas throughout the country      

Eneva is planning to build two natural gas hubs in Brazil, one in São Luís/MA, probably in Porto do Itaqui, and another in Macaé/RJ, which already has a defined location: the Macaé Port Terminal (Tepor). According to the company's New Business and Commercialization director, Marcelo Lopes, the Macaé hub will be built in partnership with the Vale Azul group.

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New natural gas hubs in São Luís/MA and Macaé/RJ are part of Eneva's strategy

In the city of Macaé, it is estimated that it will possibly be a center for the storage, processing and distribution of natural gas that is produced in the Campos and Santos basins. During the Eneva Investor Day event, Lopes stated that Eneva has been working to seek complete national coverage with regard to access to natural gas, therefore creating two new hubs is paramount in Eneva's strategy, which intends to join the integrated network.

The executive also spoke about the choice of locations where the natural gas hubs will be built, in particular Macaé, which, according to Lopes, there has been an increase in natural gas production in Brazil, which may reach around 100 million meters cubic meters per day for the next few years.

The pilot idea is to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification terminal inside the Macaé Port Terminal, so that it is possible to meet the need for flexibility that the country's natural gas does not have. In addition, the project is also focused on the sale of liquid fuels, which could make Brazil a major exporter of pre-salt oil.

Eneva highlights its plans for the natural gas hub in São Luís/MA

As for the hub that will be built in São Luís, the forecast is that a gas pipeline of approximately 300 km will be built, which will connect the capital of Maranhão to the Parnaíba complex, where Eneva performs the daily production of 8 million cubic meters of gas to generate 2 gigawatts of electricity.

The investment so far is estimated at R$ 2 billion. The pipeline can be used for both conventional gas and unconventional gas. In Maranhão, the state where Eneva has its main operation, the hub will be built in Porto do Itaqui, one of the main reasons being the thermoelectric plants that will be built in cities that still do not have access to natural gas, such as the capital of Ludovic, São Luís.

Importance of the hub for the expansion of the gas market in São Luís

Eneva reported that Maranhão is one of the states in Brazil that has a relevant consumption of fuel oil, so it is extremely important that the hub be implemented, so that polluting fuels can be converted into natural gas.

Lopes also informed that in the Port of Itaqui another regasification terminal should also be built, and in the future a thermoelectric plant. According to him, if the implementation of natural gas in São Luís is indeed possible, other markets may develop, such as the conversion of industries and Natural Gas (NGV).