Artigos

Energy, Petroleum and Gas

The Santa Catarina energy industry is inserted in a dynamic market that attracts investors thanks to the high potential for generating electrical energy and for petroleum and gas production.

The State has a total of 243 companies dedicated to electricity generation, including Brazil’s largest private generating company, which is based in Florianópolis, in addition to State generating companies, and dozens of small hydroelectric plants. Spread through a variety of different regions, these power plants generate 7,208,356 kW, supplying more than two million residential consumers and 61.3 thousand companies.

In addition to rivers with strong potential to develop hydroelectric power, Santa Catarina’s lands are rich in oil shale and coal, which are used to fuel 59 power plants, mostly in the southern region. The Jorge Lacerda Power plant, latin America’s largest coalfired plant, with total potential above 857 MW, is located in the municipality of Capivari de Baixo, 140 kilometers from Florianópolis.

With constant winds, Santa Catarina receives growing investments in wind energy generation. The State already has thirteen wind parks with total capacity of 236,400 kW.

Another promising market is that for exploration, production, refining and sales of oil and derivatives, including natural gas and the still unexplored pre-salt layer found off the Santa Catarina coast. This exploration will be made viable with the installation in Itajaí, of a FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) platform by Petrobras, the country’s largest oil producer, for the extraction, storage and pumping of oil and gas. Various companies are locating in the region, including manufacturers of towers for off-shore platforms and ships.

Opportunity:
Among the energy sources available in the State, biomass offers the advantage of reducing environmental liabilities and a secure supply. Large quantities of residues are available in the State for the production of biomass. This includes effluents from hog farming: the State has Brazil’s largest pig herd, with 9 million heads, and the construction of biodigesters for the generation of energy has proved to be viable. There is also a considerable volume of residue from the lumber and furniture industry, like wood chips, and animal fat from poultry that is not used in the food sector.

Santa Catarina combines various investment opportunities in the oil and gas sector, both in already existing fields and on new fronts, given the potential identified in the State. A study by the FIESC System pointed to opportunities for the State in the following fields in this production chain: technology-based companies, logistics operations base for the Pre-Salt, shipbuilding industry (construction, maintenance and repairs of support ships), regasification terminal and development of the supply chain. The investments forecast in this sector in Brazil for the period from 2012-2016 are US$ 285.8 billion.