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The
Juiz de Fora
power plant (UTE JF) was adapted to operate with
ethanol.
The plant, which is part of
Petrobras'
generation park, operated with
only
natural gas and is now flex-fuel (dual fuel).
Unprecedented in the world, the operation with
ethanol, which began last Dec. 31, is a test for
optimization.
Brazil has pioneered the use of ethanol for
automotive vehicles, with the creation of the
Pro-Alcohol program in the 1970s.
Today, Brazil is the second largest producer
of clean and renewable fuel.
The country opens a new frontier for the use of
ethanol in the world with the generation of
electricity, both here and abroad.
Countries
that
import liquid and gaseous fuels, such as Japan, are
potential markets for such use.
With this initiative, Brazil reaffirms the position
in the production and use of ethanol. Petrobras is
taking another step in the search for alternative
sources of power generation and in an effort to
create new options for its energy generation, which
has an installed capacity of 7028 MW.
There are 14 natural gas power plants (5,820 MW), 12
oil plants (892 MW) and 15 small hydro plants (316
MW).
Now it also has a plant capable of generating
electricity from ethanol. Installed in the
industrial district of Benfica, in Juiz de Fora
(MG), the plant has two GE aero derivative turbines
LM 6000, manufactured by General Electric (GE)
and a total installed capacity of 87 MW.
It is connected to the National Interconnected
System (SIN) and has supply contracts for until
2020.
One of these turbines, with an installed capacity of
43.5 MW (enough to supply a city of 150 thousand
inhabitants), was also adapted to use ethanol.
The new combustion chamber was developed by GE
specifically to use ethanol and natural gas.
The installation of equipment in the turbine was
held in Brazil, at the Turbo Machinery Workshop of
Petrobras, in Macae (RJ).
Through an agreement with Petrobras, GE follows the
trials and will have the right to use the data for
the marketing and improvements of the technology to
apply at other plants in the world.
The generation of electricity from ethanol opens up
great opportunities for the country, with economic,
energy and environmental
gains.
In addition to energy security resulting from the
diversification of generation sources, a new market
segment for ethanol is being created in Brazil and
abroad, the reduction of emissions of greenhouse
gases and the possibility of trading carbon credits
on the international market
through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are
also a plus. |
