The scarcity of natural gas has led the government to use diesel oil, a more expensive and polluting fuel, in some thermoelectric plants in the country. The Willam Arjona plant, one of the most expensive, could be the target of shortages
The shortage of natural gas to supply thermoelectric plants led the government to ask for authorization to use diesel oil, a more polluting and more expensive fuel, in some Brazilian units. The change will create even greater value in end consumers' electricity bills.
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Aneel authorizes the switch to diesel oil
This Tuesday (17), the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel), authorized the switch to diesel oil from Termoceará, from Petrobras, which was paralyzed by the lack of natural gas. With the change, the cost for the plant to generate energy will be R$ 1.551 per MWh, more than triple the amount before, which did not reach R$ 440.
The replacement of the fuel had been requested by the Chamber of Exceptional Rules for Hydroenergetic Management (Creg) after a meeting last week, which developed a series of solutions to combat the lack of natural gas for thermoelectric plants.
Regarding Ceará, the problem is the lack of a Petrobras vessel that was used to regasify gas in liquid form, which affects one of the largest thermoelectric plants in the state, Termofortaleza. The third largest, Vale do Açu, is receiving natural gas from other sources.
In the authorization for the use of diesel oil, this Tuesday, Aneel also determined that Petrobras send a vessel, which is currently in Rio de Janeiro, to Ceará.
Understand the reason for the lack of natural gas in Brazilian plants
In addition to Ceará, the problem spreads to other states, as a result of the stoppage for maintenance at the Mexilhão hub, one of the main suppliers of natural gas in the country.
The system will be stopped for a month from the next 29th. Creg also asked Aneel to recognize the availability of natural gas to the plants as a priority and to order suppliers to find means for the supply, including replacement by oil diesel, if possible.
Therefore, Aneel is also evaluating Delta Energia's request for the use of diesel oil at the William Arjona plant in Mato Grosso do Sul, which is one of the most expensive in the country, to be allowed. The project was reopened last month, as a support against the water crisis, however it may run out of natural gas with the stoppage of the pole.
Three more plants may run out of natural gas
According to Delta, operations with diesel oil will not make the cost of energy more expensive and that the use of diesel would be even cheaper. The Arjona thermoelectric plant was inaugurated with a generation cost of R$ 1.741 per MWh, but today this value reaches R$ 2.075 per MWh.
In addition to this plant, Creg mentioned three other plants that may run out of gas. Araucária, in Paraná, Cuiabá, in Mato Grosso, and Santa Cruz, in Rio de Janeiro. Currently, they reach a value of R$ 1.083, R$ 701 and R$ 259 per MWh, respectively.
