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Vale reaches 100% renewable energy consumption target in Brazil two years ahead of schedule

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Vale has officially announced that all the electricity used in its operations in Brazil in 2023 came from renewable sources, such as hydroelectric, wind and solar power plants. Thus, the company has achieved its goal of having 100% renewable electricity consumption in Brazil two years ahead of schedule, which was 2025.

The information is highlighted in the 2023 edition of the Integrated Report, which includes more environmental, social and diversity advances made by the company.

Having reached the target, Vale has zeroed its indirect CO2 emissions in Brazil, which correspond to scope 2. The company still has the challenge of achieving 100% renewable energy consumption in its global operations by 2030. At the moment, this indicator stands at 88.5%.

The start-up of the Sol do Cerrado solar complex in November 2022 was key to achieving the target two years ahead of schedule. Located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the solar complex represented an investment of US$ 590 million by Vale. It is one of the largest solar energy parks in Latin America, with an installed capacity of 766 Megawatts-peak, equivalent to the consumption of a city of 800,000 inhabitants. In July 2023, the complex reached its maximum capacity. It has the potential of contributing to around 16% of all the electricity consumed by Vale in Brazil.

In its global operations, Vale is also moving towards 100% renewable energy consumption by 2030. The company invests in joint venture partnerships, renewable generation certificates in contracts (PPAs) and innovation initiatives for better efficiency in the use of batteries.

Scope 1: alternative fuels and biocarbon

Vale is also working to reduce its direct Scope 1 emissions. In the mines and railroads, where diesel (a fossil fuel) is currently intensively consumed, the company is studying the adoption of alternative fuels, such as ethanol for trucks and green ammonia for locomotives. In the pelletizing furnaces, the strategy is to replace anthracite, a type of mineral coal, with zero-emission biocarbon, made from the carbonization of biomass.

Last year, Vale signed an agreement with Wabtec for the supply of three electric locomotives and the start of studies into the development of a green ammonia-powered locomotive engine. The company also produced pellets with 100% biocarbon for the first time in an industrial test.

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Via Vale

Cargill chartered ship sets sail to test wind power at sea

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LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) – A Cargill chartered dry bulk ship has launched on its first voyage since being fitted with special sails, aiming to study how harnessing wind power can cut emissions and energy usage in the shipping sector, the U.S. commodities group said on Monday.

The maritime industry – which accounts for nearly 3% of global CO2 emissions and is under pressure from investors and environmental groups to accelerate decarbonisation – is exploring a number of different technologies including ammonia and methanol in an effort to move away from dirtier bunker fuel.

Cargill, one of the world’s biggest ship charterers, has been exploring wind assisted propulsion as one cleaner energy option. Wind was a common way of propelling ships before the switch to steam and diesel engines but is now mostly used only for smaller vessels.

By  via Reuters

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‘Brazil can lead the energy transition and Petrobras can be a vector’

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The change in Brazil’s federal government at the beginning of the year brought with it fresh winds and the prospect of formulating a new strategic direction for Petrobras.

After years of being focused on oil exploration and production, the company has turned its attention to activities considered “non-core”, such as refining, natural gas, fertilizers and petrochemicals.

But what is most striking to those who follow the state-run company is its commitment to the issue of energy transition.

After announcing the creation of an executive board focused on this subject, Petrobras announced that it intends to allocate between 6% and 15% of its capex to low-carbon projects between 2024 and 2028.

Under the chairmanship of Jean Paul Prates – who, as a senator, prepared a bill to regulate offshore wind generation in Brazil – the company has begun to step up its efforts to seek partnerships in the renewable sources sector both in and outside the country.

By Bnamericas.

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Brazil Producing 3,967 Million Barrels Of Oil And Gas Per Day

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Brazil’s oil and natural gas production in August reached 3.967 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (Mmboe/d), which corresponds to 3.087 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d) of oil and 139.96 million cubic meters per day (MMm3/d) of natural gas.

The preliminary figures were released earlier this week, in Rio de Janeiro, by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), in the Dynamic Panel of Oil and Natural Gas Production.

In the pre-salt area, production stood at 2.966 Mmboe/d. The volume corresponds to 74.8 percent of the country´s total production. A good part of it was obtained in the Tupi field, namely 1.046 MMboe/d, equivalent to 26.4 percent of the total production in the country.

By Cristina Índio do Brasil via Eurasia Review

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Brazil’s new grid security rules fueling tech investments by power firms

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New network security protocols imposed on generation and transmission companies by Brazil’s national grid operator ONS are fueling an already growing market of cybersecurity and data protection supplying the power sector.

“In the last three or four years, with the expansion of industry 4.0, companies in the electricity sector have been modernizing their structures, especially regarding automation. But there is still much to be done. And with the new ONS requirements, that demand has increased even more,” Mario Lopes, commercial and alliance director at cybersecurity solutions integrator Secureway, told BNamericas.

By Bnamericas.

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