The approval of Bill No. 4,476 / 2020 by the Chamber of Deputies, this Tuesday (3/16), is an important step towards the opening of the natural gas market in the country and one of the great bets of the productive sector to support the resumption of economic growth, generating employment and income.

The National Confederation of Industry (CNI) estimates that a more modern and competitive gas market will boost investments and have the potential to reduce the price of the input for the industry and for the final consumer.

Since 2013, CNI has been systematically supporting the approval of the new legal framework, which is fundamental for the development of the natural gas market, and which may inaugurate a new investment cycle for the offer of a cleaner and cheaper energy input for the industry. national.

CNI President Robson Braga de Andrade (photo) highlights that the Brazilian consumer pays one of the most expensive gas tariffs in the world, which represents an obstacle to the competitiveness of the national economy.

“The opening of the market to competition and the drop in the price of natural gas consistently are crucial for the country to overcome the serious crisis caused by Covid-19. The approval of PL No. 4,476 / 2020 demonstrates the Chamber of Deputies' commitment to the resumption of economic growth ", says the president of CNI.

"The country will now have better conditions to attract investments, face fierce foreign competition and create jobs in the post-pandemic”, says Andrade.

According to a study released by CNI in 2020, Brazilian industry has the potential to become a major consumer of natural gas, with the possibility of tripling demand in a decade in a scenario of halving gas prices.

Thus, investments in the country could reach R $ 150 billion per year in 2030, with important industrial sectors replacing more polluting inputs with gas, as it is the fossil fuel with the lowest emission of polluting gases.

The news foreseen in the New Gas Law 

The bill establishes operators' access to essential infrastructures, such as outlets, the Natural Gas Processing Unit (UPGN) and LNG terminals. In addition to allowing greater efficiency for the sector, access will allow the entry of a variety of agents in the gas supply and will provide legal certainty for economic agents. Today, there is idle capacity in all of these infrastructures.

This replacement will play a relevant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a positive impact on the environment. The biggest consumers of gas are the chemical, steel, pelletizing sectors of iron ore, aluminum, ceramics, glass and paper and cellulose. Together, they use 80% of the gas consumed by the national industry.

A recent study by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) corroborates the idea that competitive prices will lead to large investments by the gas-consuming industry and warns that the regulatory framework has a major impact on investment decisions.

The industrial sector is confident that the approval of the PL do Gás, today by the Chamber of Deputies, followed by the face-to-face sanction and regulation of the law, will boost the recovery of the economy and contribute to the competitiveness of the industry.