Thermoelectric Power Plant in Camaçari, One of Petrobras's Main Investments in Bahia, Halts Operations

Thermoelectric Power Plant in Camaçari, One of Petrobras’s Main Investments in Bahia, Halts Operations

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 02/03/2021 at 11:41

Usina termoelétrica de Camaçari- Bahia

Be the first to react!

The Camaçari Thermoelectric Plant in Bahia, Which Was One of Petrobras’ Main Investments, Is Currently With Operations Halted, Million-Dollar Debts, and Uncertainty About Its Future.

Petrobras has already requested the shutdown of operations at the Camaçari thermoelectric plant, having become a “white elephant,” as it simply cannot sell energy at the necessary price to cover the operating, maintenance, and technology costs used in assembling the plant. In an interview, Petrobras admitted that it has no idea what it will do with the plant’s machinery. It will be up to General Joaquim Silva e Luna to address this challenge, as he will take over the oil company later this month in March.

Investment and Partnerships Involving the Thermoelectric Plant

Built in 2001, using over US$ 60 million, the plant – which has the capacity to generate around 120 megawatts (MW) of energy – was the result of a major partnership between Petrobras and the Portuguese EDP.

About three years later, the Brazilian state-owned company decided to take full control of the plant, paying an additional R$ 240 million, adjusted for inflation, owning until that moment 100% of the business. Without major issues, the plant remained strong in energy generation. However, to the surprise of many, in 2017 the gas-powered plant was completely surrounded by problems, leading to its unviability.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Exit from the Energy Market

Realizing the chaos in which the thermoelectric plant found itself, and also after having auctioned the plant’s energy twice in 2015 and 2017, Petrobras informed the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) that the “Termocamaçari” was no longer profitable and did not present “economically viable” results in the energy market due to “absence of operational conditions”.

Thermoelectric Power Plant in Camaçari, One of Petrobras’s Main Investments in Bahia, Halts Operations

The Camaçari Thermoelectric Plant in Bahia, Which Was One of Petrobras’ Main Investments, Is Currently With Operations Halted, Million-Dollar Debts, and Uncertainty About Its Future.

Read Also

Investment and Partnerships Involving the Thermoelectric Plant

Exit from the Energy Market

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

With 70 tons of rock removed by hand and an 800-year-old abandoned cave, a former businessman transforms a dark shelter into a modern home carved in the heart of the forest.

Engine without traditional cylinder head could change the future of hybrids: Aramco creates DHE technology that simplifies mechanics, promises to reduce consumption by up to 25%, and challenges decades of evolution in combustion engines.

Son finds father’s forgotten notebooks and helps scientists solve the mystery of a 55-million-year-old marine fossil that remained unanswered for almost three decades.

While other coffees escape the American tariff hike, Brazilian instant coffee is excluded, raising an alert in the sector and may become up to 37.5% more expensive in the United States.

Central Bank changes rule that lasted decades and allows dollar and euro accounts in Brazil for exporters and companies with foreign capital, eliminating the need for currency exchange in some transfers starting in October 2026.

The “Chinese invasion” has arrived: BYD already dominates almost 45% of the electric buses registered in Brazil in May 2026, while 80% of the entire electric fleet in the country is concentrated in São Paulo with 1,300 vehicles.

From toy to track machine: Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear made with over 327,000 Lego pieces reaches 111 km/h and surpasses the former Bugatti Chiron record.

Thermoelectric Power Plant in Camaçari, One of Petrobras’s Main Investments in Bahia, Halts Operations

The Camaçari Thermoelectric Plant in Bahia, Which Was One of Petrobras’ Main Investments, Is Currently With Operations Halted, Million-Dollar Debts, and Uncertainty About Its Future.

Read Also

Investment and Partnerships Involving the Thermoelectric Plant

Exit from the Energy Market

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

With 70 tons of rock removed by hand and an 800-year-old abandoned cave, a former businessman transforms a dark shelter into a modern home carved in the heart of the forest.

Engine without traditional cylinder head could change the future of hybrids: Aramco creates DHE technology that simplifies mechanics, promises to reduce consumption by up to 25%, and challenges decades of evolution in combustion engines.

IEA reduces forecast for global oil demand in 2026 after impacts of the Middle East crisis

Bank of Japan raises interest rates to 1%, reaching the highest level in over three decades

ANP halts LPG reform, and Sindigás sees technical caution as a decisive point for safety, investments, and the future of the cylinder in Brazil.

Oil spill in the Caribbean raises environmental alert and increases tension between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago

More than 40 Petrobras platforms enter the decommissioning queue and open up a billion-dollar industry in Brazil for cranes, special ships, underwater cutting, and offshore recycling.

Son finds father’s forgotten notebooks and helps scientists solve the mystery of a 55-million-year-old marine fossil that remained unanswered for almost three decades.

While other coffees escape the American tariff hike, Brazilian instant coffee is excluded, raising an alert in the sector and may become up to 37.5% more expensive in the United States.

Central Bank changes rule that lasted decades and allows dollar and euro accounts in Brazil for exporters and companies with foreign capital, eliminating the need for currency exchange in some transfers starting in October 2026.

The “Chinese invasion” has arrived: BYD already dominates almost 45% of the electric buses registered in Brazil in May 2026, while 80% of the entire electric fleet in the country is concentrated in São Paulo with 1,300 vehicles.

From toy to track machine: Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear made with over 327,000 Lego pieces reaches 111 km/h and surpasses the former Bugatti Chiron record.