Prumo makes strides in green hydrogen hub project

Prumo Logística, the controller of the Porto do Açu in São João da Barra has made strides in recent months towards establishing a green hydrogen hub in Northern Rio de Janeiro, where it operates an industrial complex adjacent to port facilities. Among the company’s initiatives are agreements for a solar energy project. In December, Prumo entered into a partnership with the Chinese company Mingyang Smart Energy to implement a 220 MWp photovoltaic plant on a 371-hectare area in the port.

The construction of the solar plant could provide the renewable electricity needed for green hydrogen production. According to Prumo’s President, Rogério Zampronha, the plant is expected to start commercial operations in the first half of 2027, with estimated investments of R$ 750 million.

The agreement was signed in Brasília during the Brazil Investment Forum, an event promoted by the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (ApexBrasil), as highlighted by Zampronha in the review of Prumo’s activities in 2023.

The company also anticipates the provisional license for the green hydrogen hub at Porto do Açu to be released in January. Zampronha emphasized that public hearings for the implementation of the plant, which is expected to occupy an area of 1 million square meters, were conducted in November. The green hydrogen hub is part of the company’s repositioning, focusing on attracting energy transition and decarbonization industries.

Prumo itself enters the hydrogen chain by providing water used in the pipeline of its subsidiary Ferroport to transport iron ore produced by Anglo American in Minas Gerais. The water arriving at the port is separated from the ore and filtered. Prumo plans to allocate this reused water to the electrolysis process used for green hydrogen production.

Prumo has signed memorandums of understanding with the Norwegian oil company Equinor, the Chinese energy generator Spic, and the energy trader Comerc, from Vibra. “The war between Russia and Ukraine has accelerated the global energy transition. Brazil is well positioned,” said Zampronha.

The subsidiary that controls the port, Porto do Açu Operações, will be managed from January 1 by Eugenio Figueiredo, the current CFO of Prumo. He will assume the roles following the departure of José Firmo from the position.

Meanwhile, Prumo is considering installing a grain terminal at the port. João Paulo Braz, Director of Industrialization, Energy, and Terminals at Porto do Açu, said that the company successfully conducted tests that moved 98,000 tons of soybeans and 58,000 tons of corn, among other initiatives that expanded activities at the site.

If Prumo chooses to build the grain terminal, investments are expected to range from R$ 250 million to R$ 300 million to handle up to 3 million tons per year. The potential cargo capture for the port is 8 million tons per year, arriving via highways from regions such as Southern Minas Gerais, Western Espírito Santo, and Goiás.

With the possible implementation of a railway destined for Açu, these numbers would double without duplicating investments, highlighted Braz. “We are conducting a detailed analysis, in talks with some potential partners, to build the terminal sustainably,” he said.

For him, the terminal can be competitive because ports in the region are saturated, with a queue of more than 70 days for ship unloading, raising logistical costs. According to him, a stationary ship costs $20,000 to $25,000 per day. The final decision on the investment in the grain terminal is expected by the end of the first half of 2024.

By Fábio Couto for Valor Econômico

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