Mitsubishi Power, CONSAG to build gas power plant in Brazil
A consortium formed by Mitsubishi Power and CONSAG Engenharia has signed an agreement with Portocem Geração de Energia and New Fortress Energy (NFE) for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the Portocem thermoelectric power plant in Brazil, Mitsubishi Power announced on May 30.
Under the EPC agreement, Mitsubishi Power will supply four M501JAC enhanced air-cooled gas turbines to operate in simple cycle at UTE Portocem. CONSAG will handle the balance of plant, utilities, civil works, assembly, and commissioning of the plant, as well as the implementation of the transmission line and substation.
This collaboration will result in the provision of 1.6 GW of power capacity, making Portocem Brazil’s largest peaking power plant and one of the largest power plants ever built in Latin America. The plant is expected to provide reliable energy to Brazil’s national grid.
The project received full regulatory approval in March 2024. Portocem was the biggest winner of the first Power Capacity Reserve Auction in December 2021. This project marks Mitsubishi Power’s third advanced technology heavy-duty gas turbine project in Brazil in five years, totaling approximately 2.6 GW of gas turbine capacity.
Commercial operation is expected in 2026, with construction of the thermal power plant already underway.
In March, NFE completed the Barcarena LNG terminal, which, along with an existing 630 MW power plant and a 25-year agreement, will host and supply LNG to over 2.2 GW of power capacity. It will also supply natural gas to Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery under a 15-year contract that commenced in Q1 2024.
Barcarena LNG is the second import terminal commissioned by NFE this year. Commercial operations began recently at Terminal Gas Sul near Santa Catarina, southwest of Sao Paulo. Terminal Gas Sul, a 6mn tonnes/year facility, is supported by the Energos Winter FSRU and connected through a 33 km pipeline to the Transportadora Brasileira Gasoduto Bolivia-Brasil pipeline, supplying more than 3.5 GW of power that lacks firm, long-term gas supply contracts.