Mega PROJECT worth R$ 145,7 BILLION in Ceará could generate 10 thousand job vacancies and consolidate Brazil as a global leader in the green hydrogen market and other forms of renewable energy, attracting even more international investments and strategic partnerships

A billion-dollar mega project will be built in Ceará after the signing of 36 memorandums of understanding. The expectation is that more than 10 jobs will be created across the state, boosting the local economy and strengthening the renewable energy and green hydrogen sector.

Focused on sustainable investments, Ceará is developing a mega project with the signing of 36 memoranda of understanding with national and foreign companies for the green hydrogen sector. These memos represent a significant step forward for the development of the Green Hydrogen Hub in Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP). With an estimated investment of more than US$30 billion (approximately R$145,7 billion), the project promises to boost the local and global economy.

The expectation is that they will be more than 10 THOUSAND job vacancies generated, transforming Ceará into a hub of innovation and sustainability. In addition to strengthening the region's infrastructure and logistical capacity, this project places Brazil at the forefront of renewable energy and the green economy.

Ceará celebrates signing of the 36th memorandum for Mega Project of green hydrogen

Among the agreements signed, four have already evolved into pre-contracts, totaling US$8 billion, equivalent to R$38,8 billion in direct conversion, including companies such as AES, Casa dos Ventos and Fortescue. These investments are focused on green hydrogen production projects, taking advantage of Ceará's capacity in renewable energy, such as solar and wind.

The last memorandum was signed in January, between the Government of Ceará and the multinational BP with the aim of building a production unit for green hydrogen (H2V) and derivatives, such as green ammonia, in the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP), which should generate thousands of job vacancies.

The vice-governor of Ceará, Jade Romero, reinforced the state's commitment to consolidating partnerships to boost the energy transition and socioeconomic development of Ceará. According to Romero, the world is facing a global challenge and Ceará has in energy transition and its great potential for renewable energy is a strategy that has been strengthened throughout the administration. The company is available to take the next steps towards this important relationship for Ceará, which should generate thousands of job vacancies.

During the signing of the agreement, BP's Global Director of New Business, Ian Spafford, highlighted Ceará's competitive advantages in this scenario of decarbonization of the economy. Spafford highlighted that the Port of Pecém is one of the best areas to develop the green hydrogen project. The hydrogen molecule is essential for the energy transition in Industry.

Ceará has three licenses approved for construction of the new mega project

According to Governor Elmano de Freitas, during the sanctioning ceremony of the Green Hydrogen Legal Framework, last week, three preliminary licenses for investment in green hydrogen in Ceará are already ready.

On that occasion, the head of the state Executive cited the Fortescue, one of the companies that will invest in the construction of the mega project in Ceará, which could generate several new jobs for the population. The company was present at the event and the governor states that Fortescue's earthmoving alone is an investment of R$ 100 million, which starts now in the state.

Qair Brasil celebrated the approval of its green hydrogen generation project, called 'Projeto H2 Fraternité', by the State Council for the Environment (Coema). With 24 favorable votes from the councilors, the H2 Fraternité Project aims to produce 42.783 tons of gaseous hydrogen annually, with a focus on sales to the national market. This is the third endorsement granted by Coema for H2V projects, strengthening Qair Brasil as a leader in the clean energy sector.

Fortescue stands out for being one of the first

Fortescue was one of the first companies to sign a memorandum of understanding for the mega project in Ceará, which will create thousands of job vacancies. At the time, the Australian company projected an investment of, in total, 6 billion dollars. The company informed that the earthworks, which will mark the beginning of work on the mega project, are scheduled for soon.

According to the energy consultant of the Federation of Industries of the State of Ceará (Fiec), Jurandir Picanço, the Memorandum of Understanding is an initial document in which the entrepreneur is demonstrating interest in studying the viability of the investment. This interest, in itself, is already encouraging, however it is not yet possible to know which or how many of these memorandums will evolve towards the completion of the investment.

Understand the differences of the mega green hydrogen project in Ceará

There is no doubt that the state of Ceará has relevant potential when it comes to clean energy. This potential draws the attention of companies interested in producing green hydrogen here. The whole world has seen the state with different eyes since the first Memorandum of Understanding was signed for the production of the fuel of the future, in 2021.

In addition to the enormous export potential via the Port of Rotterdam to European countries, there is also the opportunity to import this energy source to countries such as China, Japan and South Korea that have plans to decarbonize the energy matrix.

Future investments in this chain will generate more job vacancies, technological, industrial and socioeconomic development for the entire northeast region, especially for Ceará. New renewable energy companies, hydrogen production, storage and transport companies will be set up. There are expectations of an increase in Ceará's GDP and positive impacts on the state's exports.

According to data from the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), the state has 100 wind farms with a total power of 2.577 MW. And another 72 projects, under construction or works that have not yet started, have a capacity of 2.876MW.

There are still 26 offshore wind projects awaiting licensing from Ibama that will produce 64,9 GW on the high seas. The installed solar energy capacity is 1.559 MW distributed across 35 projects in Ceará. Another 419 solar parks are under construction, and together they will soon create 16.738,3 MW of power.

The mega green hydrogen project, in the Pecém Complex, was launched by the State Government in 2021 in partnership with the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and the Federation of Industries of Ceará (Fiec). The idea is to reduce the emission of polluting gases with new investments and expand business opportunities by creating job vacancies throughout the state, as well as boosting Ceará's economy.