On 10/21, Firjan filed an Open Letter to Agenersa (Energy and Sanitation Regulatory Agency of the State of Rio de Janeiro) signed jointly with 20 national and state entities, including ONIP, IBP, Sindirepa and Sindisal, requesting the rapid approval of Resolution 4,068 / 2020, thus guaranteeing the definitive insertion of Rio de Janeiro in the Free Market for Natural Gas. The Deliberation in question represents an important advance for the modernization of the legal framework for the distribution services of piped natural gas in Rio de Janeiro, in line with the Federal Government's Novo Mercado Program for Gas.

According to the document, the discussion of this process started 15 months ago and so far has not been finalized and there is still a need for clarification on specific items in the draft that should be published soon. According to the text, “the effective implementation of the Free Gas Market in the state of Rio de Janeiro depends on the completion of the regulatory process E-22 / 007,300 started in 2019. Only then, Rio de Janeiro will have more attractive conditions for investment, with a safe environment for agents interested in the states of Sergipe and Espírito Santo, who have already advanced in this regulation. ”

According to the study “Rio ao todos Gás”, launched in August, Firjan mapped more than R $ 80 billion in investments that can be unlocked throughout the country with the approval of the new legal framework for natural gas, now under discussion in the Federal Senate. Of this volume, R $ 45 billion can be directed to the territory of Rio de Janeiro. As such, the better the business environment in the state, the greater the chances of capturing investments for Rio de Janeiro. During the construction of the projects in Rio, more than 550 thousand jobs could be generated, according to the federation study.

Advantages of the Free Market 

The benefits of approval can be seen in the structuring of gas pipelines for transporting and transporting natural gas; as well as its treatment in new processing plants and in the development of consumption opportunities in segments such as steel, electricity generation, fertilizers, as fuel for light and heavy vehicles (CNG) and petrochemicals.

The Open Letter sent to Agenersa emphasizes that the Free Market for Natural Gas will enable the industrial consumer to buy natural gas directly from the producer / importer / trader, as well as the eventual construction of dedicated pipelines to supply this gas. The Free Market encourages competition between suppliers with the expectation of reducing the cost of gas, which means more than 50% of the final tariff for many industries, and can encourage the reduction of distribution costs. Finally, the document sent to the agency also highlights that the closed gas market caused, between 2014 and 2020, an increase of 100% in the cost of gas, impacting the competitiveness of Rio de Janeiro's industries.

The following entities sign the document: Abespetro, Abiape, Abiquim, Abiogás, Abit, Abividro, Abpip, Abraceel, Abrace, Anace, Anfacer, Apine, Aspacer, COGEN, CONLESTE, CNG Committee, Firjan, IBP, ONIP, Sindirepa e Sindisal.

Download the Open Letter to Agenersa at the link https://www.firjan.com.br/lumis/portal/file/fileDownload.jsp?fileId=2C908A8A74AB6B1601754BF309190B70