Natural gas distributors from five states in the Northeast have launched public calls to purchase gas from new suppliers. The notices will be published by Copergás (PE), Algás (AL), Cegás (CE), Potigás (RN) and Sergas (SE). The total purchase is 2.406 million m³ / day of natural gas, with the supply scheduled to start in 2022. The information and notices will be published on the websites of each of the distributors.

Producers, importers or trading agents may participate in the public call. Although prepared in a coordinated manner, the initiative will not result in a joint purchase of natural gas. Due to the specificities of each distributor in relation to volumes and delivery points, the five companies opted for their own notices and will carry out the acquisition individually.

Together, the five distributors serve more than 184 thousand consumers of natural gas and have more than 2,670 kilometers of distribution networks in 61 municipalities.

In the case of Pernambuco Copergás, the public call will accept natural gas regardless of its origin - national or imported through LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) - in two alternative contracting lots. For Copergás' Technical Commercial Director, Fabricio Bomtempo, the public call is an opportunity for Copdergás to increase its economic competitiveness. "The sector is undergoing transformations and Copergás seeks to be in tune with this new market, always with the concern to offer the best product available, with the provision of a quality service to our customers, in all sectors served by the Company" .

Interested parties may propose conditions for the supply of natural gas to Copergás in a volume of up to 1 million m³ / day for the years 2022 and 2023 or alternatively offer natural gas through the supply of LNG at the Port of Suape. In this case, the intention is to contract up to 750 thousand m³ / day for 5 years, starting in 2022.

The purpose of the announcement is to diversify suppliers of the various modalities with better commercial conditions to be passed on to our market. In Rio Grande do Norte, which has a differentiated condition due to the performance of companies onshore, there is even an expectation of important participation by these new providers. Potigás foresees the purchase of up to 236 thousand cubic meters of fuel daily. The Notice will be held in a single contracting lot.

The president of Cegás, Hugo Figueirêdo, says that the public call is an opportunity for new suppliers to enter the market, increasing the offer and reducing prices to the final consumer. The Cegás lot provides for a supply volume of 600 thousand m³ / day, for two years, with supply starting on 01/01/2022. The volumes will be delivered to the Custody Transfer Stations - ETC, located in the municipalities of Fortaleza, Aquiraz, Pecém, Caucaia, Aracati and Horizonte. The Cegás notice also provides for the contracting of biomethane, a gas derived from the purification of biogas. In 2018, Cegás became the first gas distributor in Brazil to acquire and inject Renewable Natural Gas (GNR), a biomethane generated from solid waste at the Municipal Landfill West of Caucaia (ASMOC), in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza , in your distribution network.

In Alagoas, Algás identified commercial opportunities with the objective of expanding the natural gas market in the interior of the State and estimates a daily purchase of 270 thousand cubic meters. The objective is to diversify the sources of natural gas supply and seek more competitive prices to obtain more favorable conditions for development and competitiveness for local industries.

Sergipana Sergas distributes natural gas to 31,244 customers, located in seven municipalities. The company intends to acquire 300 thousand m³ / day for commercialization through its distribution network, which totals 243 km. By 2024, Sergas plans to reach 308 km of distribution network and 52,006 customers, in 10 municipalities in Sergipe.