LNG power plant

GNA – Gás Natural Açu, a joint venture amongst bp, Siemens, SPIC Brasil and Prumo Logística, controlled by EIG Global Energy Partners, has received authorization from the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (Aneel) to start the commercial operations of all generation units of LNG-to-power project located at Port of Açu, in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro.

Bernardo Perseke, CEO of GNA, said: “We are pleased to announce the start of commercial operations at our first plant, which marks GNA´s transition to an operating company, as a key player in the Brazilian energy sector. We went into operation at a crucial moment for the country by bringing reliable energy to the system from LNG, which is a cleaner fuel and considered a catalyst for the global energy transition.”

The GNA I LNG-to-power plant is a combined cycle power plant composed of three gas turbines and one steam turbine. It has 1,338MW of installed capacity, enough to supply energy for 6m households.

Approximately one third of the energy produced by the plant is generated from the steam turbine. This translates into generating capacity of approximately 465MW – enough to supply more than 2m households – without additional gas consumption.

The combined cycle operation and use of high energy efficiency turbines, which combines lower gas consumption and lower atmospheric emissions, ensures the supply of electricity on a stable and secure basis to complement the expansion of renewable sources.

The power plant includes a desalination unit responsible for supplying water to the thermoelectric complex. This unit allows the plant´s commercial operation to be based on 100% use of sea water, reinforcing GNA’s commitment to using water resources in the most sustainable way.

The engineering, supply and construction of the plant (EPC) is being provided by Siemens Energy, in consortium with Andrade Gutierrez. The company will also be responsible for operation and maintenance (O&M) in the power plant.

In addition to GNA I, the company will build GNA II, with 1,672MW of installed capacity, — enough to supply energy for up to 14m households.

With 3.0 GW of long-term PPAs under contract and an additional 3.4GW of licensed expansion for GNA III and GNA IV projects, the 6.4GW complex is the largest in Latin America and includes a FSRU BW MAGNA, a 28 MMm3/day operational LNG floating storage regasification unit.