GasBrasiliano held last Friday, February 14, the inauguration ceremony of the natural gas distribution network of Catanduva (SP). The event took place in the City Hall Auditorium and was attended by the directors of GasBrasiliano, Alex Sandro Gasparetto, Paulo Lucena and Vitor Hill de Oliveira Alves Pessoa and the mayor of the city, Afonso Macchione Neto, and the Secretary for Infrastructure and Environment from the state of São Paulo, Marcos Penido.

Held in partnership with the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment, Catanduva City Hall and Catanduva Water and Sewage Superintendence (SAEC), the inauguration marks the beginning of the supply of natural gas to the city via the main gas pipeline, whose expansion started from Itápolis, passing through Santa Adélia and Pindorama, until reaching Catanduva. Previously, distribution was carried out via the local network.

“Of the advances achieved in Catanduva, one of the most striking is, without a doubt, the implementation of the natural gas network, which brings development to the municipality. Today we have one of the most used energy sources in the world ”, comments the mayor, Afonso Macchione Neto. Still according to him, the offer of fuel meets the expansion of opportunities sought by the city. “This structure starts with the industry and we believe in the positive effects for other sectors.”

For GasBrasiliano, Catanduva has a market with a lot of potential for having an intense industrial activity that can generate a total demand of 220 thousand m³ of piped natural gas per day. In addition, the distribution network that links Itápolis to Catanduva was designed to enable future expansion, such as the extension of the gas pipeline to São José do Rio Preto, a municipality that is in the company's expansion plans.

“The arrival of natural gas in Catanduva will allow the fuel to be closer to the municipality of São José do Rio Preto, one of the largest in the northwest of São Paulo and which has great demand potential for the various markets, such as industrial, commercial, residential and automotive ”, Comments the CEO of GasBrasiliano, Alex Sandro Gasparetto.

The Secretary of Infrastructure and Environment of the State of São Paulo, Marcos Penido, affirms that the expansion of the natural gas distribution network in the interior of the State is fundamental for industrial competitiveness, attraction of new investments in the municipality and improvement of the quality of life of the population. “This inauguration is another step towards São Paulo's goal of expanding the number of consumers and the participation of gas in the São Paulo energy matrix”, he explains.

The project to expand the distribution network to Catanduva was announced in 2016 and carried out in two stages. The first was the construction of the local network, a modality developed by GasBrasiliano and regulated by Arsesp that made it possible to anticipate to March 2018 the availability of energy resources to the industries of the city. The second was the construction of more than 55 kilometers of network to connect the local network to the main gas pipeline. In all, the project included an investment of R $ 40 million and the construction of more than 70 kilometers of natural gas distribution network.