Regasification terminal in Suape to attract R$ 1.5 billion of investments to Pernambuco

The installation of a regasification terminal (Regás) at the Suape Port Industrial Complex, scheduled for the first half of 2022, should generate investments of around R$ 1.5 billion for Pernambuco. The project was discussed by Governor Paulo Câmara in a meeting with his team on September 16. The investments will be spent on infrastructure to implement the unit. An industry ship – known as the Floating Ship Re-gasification Unit (FSRU) – will enable the operation through gas pipelines connected to a Custody Transfer Station.

During the terminal installation process, around 2,500 jobs will be created, and with the unit in operation, another 300 jobs should be created. “The installation of the Regas terminal will be very important within the planning project for the future of Pernambuco and will effectively ensure that the Port of Suape is increasingly prepared, providing conditions for the gas to reach every corner of the state and be used increasingly as a source of energy for priority projects and for industries that already operate here”, highlighted Paulo Câmara.

To make the Regás terminal viable, the administration of the state-owned port began a public bidding process for the development of the multiple-use wharf. The first phase of the project began in June of this year. A public call was announced on July 24 for the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility studies (EVTEA) that are essential and mandatory for the development of the operation. Five companies expressed interest in the project that will provide uninterrupted operations, generating around R$ 4 million annually in fees for the port.

“The implementation of the regasification terminal at Suape will allow us to have competition in the supply of gas in our State, making the industry more competitive since we will have more than one supplier to compete. Previously, all gas was offered by Petrobrás. Now, we are going to have a private player doing the regasification in Suape and offering this gas as well”, pointed out the secretary of Economic Development, Geraldo Julio.

The public call for the development of the terminal is available on the Suape website (www.suape.pe.gov.br), and several players have already shown interest in the proposal. Three companies were authorized to submit proposals, which must be filed in the month of October. The multiple-use wharf currently operates at only 18% of its capacity, which can be optimized with this new operation, becoming an LNG hub in the Northeast.

“The natural gas that will arrive via Suape will serve not only the complex’s industries but also other projects in Pernambuco and the surrounding region. This is an important step towards promoting the segment – ​​through the open market – and for the environment, as it is a less polluting gas. With this, Suape reinforces the concepts of sustainability inside and outside the port”, highlighted the director-president of the Port of Suape, Roberto Gusmão.

The bidding process for the use of the multi-use terminal runs simultaneously with negotiations with other federal agencies that regulate the sector, such as ANTAQ (the national waterway-transport agency), the national secretariat of ports, and the ministry of infrastructure. The expectation is for the opening of a Simplified Selection Process for signing a Transition Agreement this September. Subsequently, a bidding process must be opened for the Assignment of Onerous Use. This second step should take approximately 18 to 24 months.

SHIP TO SHIP – The operation of transforming liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the gaseous form will be carried out by a stationary ship connected by pipeline to the Custody Transfer Station (ETC), for subsequent distribution through the network that connects the port to the cities of the Greater Recife, the interior of the state, and other regions. The operation from one vessel to another is known as “ship-to-ship”.

Also present in addition to the secretary of economic development and the director-president of the Port of Suape were the vice-governor, Luciana Santos; the president of the Companhia Pernambucana de Gás (Copergás), André Campos; the president of the economic development agency of Pernambuco (AD Diper), Roberto Abreu e Lima; the directors of the Port of Suape, Paulo Coimbra and Luiz Alberto Barros; and the coordinator of Port Business for the Complex, Tatiana Gurge.

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