Brazil's Energisa enters renewable natural gas market

Brazil’s Energisa has acquired 83.3% of Agric Adubos e Gestão de Resíduos Industriais e Comerciais, a Santa Catarina state company that composts industrial organic waste to produce biofertilizer. 

The operation involved the payment of 6.5mn reais (US$1.33mn) and a capital contribution to the company of 53.5mn reais. 

The capital will be used for investments in the improvement of the composting system and a new biogas and biomethane production project.

"With this acquisition, the company will enter the renewable natural gas production and commercialization sector, a major vector for the energy transition in the country," Energisa said in a statement.

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Electricity distributor EDP has started the expansion and modernization of the Salesópolis power substation in Alto Tietê, São Paulo state.  

With an investment of around 23mn reais, the works will directly benefit more than 30,000 people in the municipality and region.

The substation will include the installation of a 9.4MVA transformer and three feeders. 

The start of operations is scheduled for the last quarter of this year.

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Brazil’s mines and energy minister, Alexandre Silveira, signed a decree that expands the possibilities of electricity exchange with countries bordering Brazil. 

Currently, Brazil exchanges electricity with Argentina and Uruguay, as well as Paraguay through the 14GW Itaipu hydroelectric plant.

The decree will allow contracts to be reached to bring energy from the Guri hydroelectric plant in Venezuela.

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Silveira also signed a service order for the connection of far north Roraima state to the national grid.

Residents of state capital Boa Vista and nearby towns currently rely on diesel, natural gas and biomass plants and a small hydroelectric facility. 

With an investment of 2.6bn reais, the Linhão de Tucuruí transmission line that will connect Boa Vista is a continuation of the system that crosses much of Pará and Amazonas states. 

It is expected that more than 11,000 direct and indirect jobs will be generated with the works, which are due to be completed in September 2025.

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Electric power watchdog Aneel decided to disqualify the Gênesis consortium, winner of lots 1 and 8 of the last energy transmission auction held on June 30. 

According to the regulator, the consortium failed to prove legal, technical and economic-financial qualification, as well as tax compliance.  

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Petrobras registered a new monthly record of S-10 diesel production in July. 

The 2.38Bl surpasses that of June at 2.11Bl. 

The federal company’s refinery utilization factor (FUT) remains high, having closed the month at 93%.