Brazil’s Energisa eyeing carbon dioxide distribution

Brazil’s Energisa is interested in providing carbon dioxide transport services via its gas pipeline network, CEO Ricardo Botelho said on Tuesday during the Energy Summit in Rio de Janeiro. 

Energisa is eyeing projects planned by federal oil firm Petrobras, and, after acquiring ES Gás in Espírito Santo, the company also bought Infra Gás e Energia last month, which holds stakes in gas distributors in the northeast. 

"We think that the gas service will, at some point, also be transporting carbon dioxide. So the idea is to work together within this perspective, which is for the good of the country," said Botelho. 

Before Botelho spoke, Petrobras' energy transition director, Maurício Tolmasquim, told the event that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one area in which the company plans to invest to help it achieve a sustainable portfolio.

Petrobras is among the companies that capture the most CO2 in the world, as it reinjects more than half of the natural gas it produces into offshore fields. 

"Now we want to look at saline aquifers near the coast of Brazil with enormous potential for capturing CO2 for dozens of years," Tolmasquim said. 

"We'll be able to decarbonize Petrobras' operations and sell services to other companies," he added, noting that steelmakers are showing interest. 

Petrobras has signed carbon capture MOUs with steel giant ArcelorMittal, as well as China's Sinopec and Japan's Mitsui, which operate in the Brazilian energy sector. 

"We’re analyzing potential [CCS] hubs, perhaps in Rio, Espírito Santo," Tolmasquim said

The most advanced initiative is a pilot project in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro. The plan is to build a plant with the capacity to store 100,000t/y of CO2 in a hypersaline water reservoir, which can be connected to third-party steel and cement plants, as well as refineries owned by Petrobras.