The Brazilian gas distributor Comgás announced that it has opened its public proposal period for connecting biomethane plants to its distribution network.
Comgás will accept commercial proposals until March 30 for businesses that want to connect their biomethane plants to its distribution system.
The public call was launched by the concessionaire located in São Paulo after Arsesp established the interconnection rules which determine how biomethane plants must connect to distribution networks. The agency also established aTusd-Verde distribution tariff system which allows producers to access a dedicated distribution rate.
Comgás will present Arsesp with a business plan for plant interconnections in São Paulo state which they will complete by the end of June this year.
The Usina Costa Pinto plant in Piracicaba and the Paulínia landfill currently maintain active connections to the Comgás distribution network. These two plants together supply the Comgás network with around 300.000 cubic meters of biomethane every day.
The Brazilian Association of Biogas and Biomethane ABIOGÁS reports that Brazil produces 2 million cubic meters of daily biomethane. The organization ABIOGÁS believes that Brazil can raise its current output to 8 million cubic meters per day by the start of the next decade. Brazil has the ability to reach a production capacity of 120 million cubic meters per day by 2040 through appropriate investment strategies.
If this scenario materializes, Brazil could not only meet its domestic market demand but also export biomethane. This would allow the country to replace all currently imported Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in less than two decades and reduce diesel purchases by approximately 70% if biomethane is properly introduced into the transport sector, especially for heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses.
A study titled "Structuring Initiatives and Challenges to Boost Low-Carbon Mobility in Brazil by 2040," (Iniciativas e Desafios Estruturantes para impulsionar a mobilidade de baixo carbono no Brasil até 2040) conducted by LCA Consultores at the request of the MBCBrasil Institute, identifies biomethane as a key component in the decarbonization of heavy transport in Brazil, potentially leading to a new economic surge for the country.
