Central Brazil Gas Pipeline

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The Central Brazil Gas Pipeline, also known as the São Carlos-Brasilia Gas Pipeline, is a proposed natural gas pipeline in Brazil.

Location

The pipeline would run from a junction with the Gasbol Gas Pipeline in São Carlos, São Paulo state to Ceilândia, near Brasilia.[1] Other cities along the pipeline's projected route include Ribeirão Preto, Uberaba, Uberlândia, Itumbiara, Goiânia, and Anápolis.[1][2][3]

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Project Details

  • Operator: TGBC (Transportadora de Gás Brasil Central)[2]
  • Parent Company: TGBC (Transportadora de Gás Brasil Central)[2]
  • Capacity: 7.4 MMcm/d[1]
  • Length: 893 km / 562 miles[1]
  • Diameter: 18 inches, 20 inches[1]
  • Status: Proposed
  • Start Year: 2031[4]

Background

The Central Brazil Gas Pipeline was originally conceived in the late 1990s as a northern extension of the Gasbol Gas Pipeline, designed to transport imported Bolivian natural gas north from Gasbol's São Carlos hub to Brazil's capital city, Brasilia. Sponsor TGBC began seeking permits for the pipeline in 2008[5][6], and Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA issued an environmental license for the project in 2013.[3] The original proposal called for a 905-kilometer, 14-inch pipeline with the capacity to transport 3.75 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.[2] However, in 2019 the pipeline was left on the drawing board after its installation license expired.[4]

In September 2019, government officials representing Brazil's Federal District announced plans to sign an agreement with BNDES (Brazil's National Economic Development Bank) to relaunch the long-delayed pipeline.[7] An October 2019 government report called for changes to the pipeline's specifications, shortening its length from 905 km to 893 km by moving the northern terminus from Recanto das Emas to Ceilândia, while increasing the pipeline's diameter and expanding its capacity from 3.75 to 7.4 million cubic meters per day. Estimated development cost for the pipeline is R$ 7.1 billion (7.1 billion Brazilian reais).[1]

In November 2019, TGBC indicated that they were seeking renewed permits for the pipeline, with the goal of beginning construction in 2021 or 2022 and seeing the project commissioned by 2025.[8] In August 2020, the company reiterated its commitment to developing the pipeline, while noting that the coronavirus pandemic might pose obstacles to its original timeline.[9]

A November 2020 report published by the EPE (Brazil's government energy research agency) confirmed that TGBC was still in the process of acquiring the necessary licenses for the pipeline but had not yet made any final investment decisions.[10]

Federal law 14182, passed in July 2021, which calls for the construction of 8 GW of new gas power plants and associated pipelines serving Brazil's interior[11], has provided new impetus for the pipeline's construction.[12] Critics have complained that the law amounts to a government handout to Brazilian businessman Carlos Suarez, owner of project developer TGBC and other natural gas distributors in Brazil's North, Northeast and Central West regions.[12][13]

A December 2022 update of the Brazilian government's national gas transport plan continued to list the São Carlos-Brasilia pipeline as an active project in the licensing phase.[14]

In 2024, gas distributors for the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás and Brazil's Federal District solicited bids from companies interested in supplying gas to the Central Brazil pipeline starting in 2031. The viability of the project was seen as dependent both on sufficient gas supply and sufficient demand from large customers such as power plants and a gas-chemical hub proposed for the city of Uberaba.[4]

Articles and resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "PIG 2019: Plano Indicativo de Gasodutos de Transporte" (PDF). EPE (Empresa de Pesquisa Energética). October 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Traçado do Gasoduto Brasil Central". TGBC - Transportadora de Gás Brasil Central S/A. Retrieved 2020-10-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Ibama autoriza obras do Gasoduto Brasil Central". GasNet. December 5, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Distribuidoras de MG, GO e DF lançam chamada para viabilizar gasoduto Brasil Central". Agência epbr. 2024-04-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "RELAÇÃO DOS GASODUTOS DE TRANSPORTE AUTORIZADOS (AUTORIZAÇÃO DE OPERAÇÃO)" (PDF). ANP. May 23, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "Processo de Outorga de Gasodutos". MME (Ministério de Minas e Energia) & ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis). November 29, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Governo do DF quer construir gasoduto ligando Brasília a São Paulo". Agência Infra. September 3, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "TGBC quer gasoduto Brasil Central 100% operacional em 2025". Energia Hoje. November 29, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. "Empresa planeja gasoduto para 2025, mas pandemia é obstáculo". Jornal da Manhã. August 5, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "PIG 2020: Plano Indicativo de Gasodutos de Transporte" (PDF). EPE (Empresa de Pesquisa Energética). November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. "LEI Nº 14.182, DE 12 DE JULHO DE 2021". Diário Oficial da União. July 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. 12.0 12.1 "MP da Eletrobras pode destravar gasodutos para Brasília e São Luís - Jornal de Brasília". Jornal de Brasilia. June 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ""Rei do gás" mobiliza partidos do Centrão para aprovar jabuti de R$ 100 bi no Congresso". ClimaInfo. May 11, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. "PIG 2022 - Plano Indicativo de Gasodutos de Transporte (p 54)" (PDF). EPE – Empresa de Pesquisa Energética. December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Related GEM.wiki articles

External resources

External articles

Proposed Pipelines in Latin America