Hidrovias do Brasil starts investing in electrifying its fleet in the Amazon

In the wake of the decarbonization of the planet, Hidrovias do Brasil, a logistics company whose partner is the resource manager Pátria, started a process to electrify part of its fleet.

By the end of the year, two electric pusher-craft vessels will be operating in the Amazon, where the company is active in the waterway transportation of mostly grains.

With the two machines alone, the company will stop emitting 2,168 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, equivalent to 472 cars over a year.

According to the company’s president, Fabio Schettino, the project is national and unprecedented in the world. Two weeks ago, the battery racks that will supply the pushers were assembled. There are 152 batteries in total, each with a five or six-hour lifespan.

The pusher-craft machines will assist Pará-state terminals in their operations. However, as technology advances, the lifespan of the batteries employed will increase, thus making longer trips possible. “We are leaving space available on the vessels so that in the future, we can expand the capacity of the vessels and add more batteries,” says Schettino.

The director of Innovation, Engineering, and IT, Mariana Yoshioka, says that the intention is to continue studying the subject and expanding the project. She explained that the current size of batteries is a limiting factor for long-distance trips between Miritituba and Vila do Conde, in Pará, where the company owns terminals along the 1,000 km waterway. Such a long trip would require pit stops along the way for recharging. “However, this constraint is one of time. Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace.”

Schettino emphasizes that, besides being an efficient and clean source, the project is economically viable due to lower operational costs. “It was already feasible when diesel was half the price today. Now the scenario is even more favorable.”

The vessel is being built at Belov’s shipyard, located in Bahia. The batteries are from Weg. The vessels will be named Poraquê and Enguia, names for fish from the Amazon.

Source: Money Times

To read the full original article, please go to: https://www.moneytimes.com.br/hidrovias-do-brasil-comeca-a-eletrificar-frota-na-amazonia/

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