Pipeline gas distributors in the Northeast plan to invest R $ 1.5 billion over the next five years and should attract around 200 thousand new customers between 2020 and 2024. The information is included in a study presented yesterday by the president of Companhia de Gás do Ceará , Hugo Figueirêdo, and by the president of Algás, Arnóbio Cavalcanti, during the Maranhense Natural Gas Distribution Forum, at the Henrique de La Rocque Palace, in São Luis, Maranhão.

At the event, Figueirêdo presented four proposals to expand the natural gas market in the panel "Agenda of regional policies for the use of natural gas as a vector of development in the Northeast". Figueirêdo coordinated the meeting of distributors in the Northeast, which took place yesterday and today in São Luís, where he made a presentation on the investments of distributors in the next five years.

According to Figueirêdo, the proposals were prepared after a wide discussion among the distributors, presented last year in the consortium of governors in the Northeast and aim to optimize the gas supply in the region, in order to give consistency to this energy matrix and create opportunities for investors other segments of the economy come to the region.

The first proposal presented was the creation of blue corridors that can guarantee the autonomy of running with Natural Gas in all states in the Northeast. The corridors would initially connect São Luis (MA) to Mucuri (BA), through BRs 101, 304, 116, 222, 343, 316 and 135, and Fortaleza (CE) to Vitória da Conquista (BA).

The distributors understand that the corridors will allow road autonomy for CNG trucks on the main federal and state roads that cross the Northeast, will help to develop the CNG culture considering its competitiveness and its environmental appeal, and will improve the commercial balance of road fuels, once that 21% of the diesel consumed in Brazil is imported and that only 2.5% of the NG is used in transportation.

The expected extraction of natural gas in the recently discovered six fields in the Sergipe-Alagoas basin is 20 million m³ / day, which may represent around 1/3 of the country's current production and account for all current consumption in the Northeast. This data supports the second proposal presented, which consists of expanding the mechanisms for transporting and distributing natural gas in the region.

In this sense, the distributors defend the creation of a TMN Pecém / CE - Teresina - São Luís transport pipeline, integrating the states of Piauí and Maranhão with the national natural gas transport network, about 800km in a straight line. He also defended the duplication of the Catu-Atalaia pipeline, to allow the drainage of the Sergipe and Alagoas basins, and the expansion of the transportation network in the Northeast region, aiming at future interconnection with the network in the Midwest and North regions. The expansion would be complemented with the creation of new Delivery Points in the existing gas pipelines and in the increase of the capacity of the current Delivery Points - RN-CE (Aracati / CE) and PB-RN (Santa Rita / PB).

To internalize natural gas through the Northeast through the interconnection of current and projected distribution networks and, when the construction of pipelines is impracticable, using small LNG plants was the third proposal presented by Figueirêdo. According to him, the interconnections between the current and projected distribution networks of the distributors will allow greater internalization of natural gas in the Northeast.

In practice, for example, interconnections between States would allow natural gas to reach the interior of the Northeast through connections between Juazeiro (BA) - Petrolina (PE), Crato (CE) - Exu (PE), São José da Coroa Grande ( PE) - Maragogi (AL), Goiana (PE) - Caaporã (PB), Campina Grande (PB) - Caicó (RN), Propriá (SE) - Penedo (AL), Indiaroba (SE) - Jandaíra (BA), Simão Dias (SE) - Paripiranga (BA).

Finally, the study carried out by the distributors argues that the States should map the potential sources of biogas production, the Renewable Natural Gas (GNR). Preliminary studies reveal that there is enormous untapped potential in the region, such as Salvador and Feira de Santana (BA), Jaboatão dos Guararapes (PE), João Pessoa (PB), Maceió (AL), Natal (RN), Teresina ( PI), Juazeiro do Norte, Limoeiro do Norte and Sobral (CE).

Currently, Ceará, through CEGÁS, has one of the largest shares of GNR in the volume of gas distributed in the world, with around 13%. In developed countries like France and Japan, this rate is less than 5%. In Sweden, the percentage is 12%.

Figueirêdo also highlighted that the use of renewable natural gas by CEGÁS proved to be a competitive and sustainable experience, with positive impacts on the entire natural gas production chain. "We have increased supply security and price competitiveness, by increasing the number of Natural Gas suppliers," said Figueirêdo.

Promoted by the Government of the State of Maranhão, through Gasmar, in partnership with EMAP / Porto do Itaqui and Golar Power, the Maranhense Natural Gas Distribution Forum brought together authorities, representatives of civil society, companies and bodies involved with the exploration of this product.

The event had lectures by Hélio Bisaggio, superintendent of Infrastructure and Movement at the ANP, Gustavo Labanca Novo, president of TAG, and by the director of Oil, Gas and Biofuels Studies at EPE, José Mauro Ferreira Coelho.

The meeting of gas distributors in the Northeast counted on the following attendances: Augusto Salomon, President of Abegás, André Campos, President Director of Copergás, Fabrício Bomtempo, Commercial Technical Director of Copergás, Deoclides Macêdo, President Director of Gasmar,, Valmor Barbosa Bezerra , CEO of Sergás, and Larissa Dantas Gentile, CEO of Potigás.