Supergasbras has hit the hammer to invest almost R$ 1 billion in what may be the first port terminal in the Northeast of the country for refrigerated storage of imported LPG. The deal was closed with the Pecém Complex, in Ceará. There is an ongoing project of Nacional Gás and Copagaz to build a terminal in similar molds in the port of Suape, in Pernambuco.
The investments are estimated at R$ 920 million and the terminal will have a capacity for 43,000 tons of LPG - the estimated annual movement is 480,000 tons. The gas is bought in the United States for distribution in the Northeast region, which is highly dependent on imports. The gas sold by Petrobras over there and that uses a tanker ship at the Port of Suape already comes from the American market.
Although the moment is opportune, Supergasbras' decision dates back to a strategy started almost three years ago. "With the beginning of the process of refinery sales by Petrobras, the market would start to become more pulverized, with several players replacing what was an exclusive supplier responsible for all supply," Julio Cardoso, president of Supergasbras, tells Pipeline. "We have a large operation and found a good time to invest in infrastructure and guarantee our 1.5 million tons of LPG in the country."
Just between the dispatch of another Petrobras ship to Ceará from the one docked in Suape, the company estimates a reduction of five to 10 days in the deadline for making the gas available. Other distributors will also be able to use the terminal for their imports.
"We are at the corner of the Atlantic, in a strategic position for imports and exports, with a young, modern port, with natural draft and no approach channel, which dispenses with large maneuvers for ships to dock" says Danilo Serpa, president of the Pecém Complex.
The complex is controlled by the government of Ceará, with 70%, and has the Port of Rotterdam as a partner since 2018, with 30%.
"It's a huge additional storage, which gives guarantee of supply, and more perennial than the temporary solution of a tanker," says Cardoso. "There is no LPG terminal in Brazil with this storage today, it is the first onshore terminal."
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Posted by Thaís Escóssia
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