Alcohol pipeline brings Petrobras, Cosan and Copersucar together
Valor Econômico
The main project of the alcohol pipeline developed to flow the ethanol from the Midwest of the country up to São Paulo, should finally come out of the paper. Valor found out large sugar and alcohol groups, like Cosan and Copersucar, will join Petrobra to put into practice the projected which should receive investments above US$ 2 billion. Originally created by the Brazilian oil company, the alcohol pipeline was designed to flow the production of ethanol from Senador Canedo (GO) to Paulínia (SP). Midway, large sugar and alcohol groups also announced ethanol parallel projects to carry the ethanol through pipelines.
The best structured project, of Uniduto, a company that gathers large companies such as Cosan and Copersucar, decided to join forces with the State company to implement the project, which barely left the paper since it was announced five years ago. Questioned, both the companies made no announcements on the issue. Not mentioning names, the logistics manager of Petrobras, Eduardo Autran, who is ahead the project, confirmed the State company is negotiating with other "key players" of the alcohol industry to organize a partnership to develop an integrated logistics system for the ethanol, which includes the pipeline, but is not limited to it. According to him, other modals integrate the negotiation, among them, the waterway and the railroad.
Autran says Petrobras will hold 20% of the new company, whose negotiations should be wrapped up by the end of this year, as foresees the Executive. An insider in the negotiations said the other private companies integrating it would not be allowed to hold a share greater than the State company.
The outlines of Uniduto Logística, company established in 2008 that gathers 80 associated plants connected to ten major ethanol producing groups, foresaw the construction of a 612.4 kilometer-pipeline-corridor, interconnecting 46 municipalities of State to the port terminal, with capacity to flow 16.6 billion liters of ethanol a year. Among the main associated companies are, besides those mentioned before, the São Martinho group, Santa Cruz, São João and Bunge. According to sources close to the negotiations, the two projects will be merged, but the original outline, from Goiás to Paulínia, should be maintained. From Paulínia, it was expected that the fuel would be transported to Ilha D'Água (RJ), in pipeline s adapted from other fuels of Petrobras. Now, that segment from Paulínia will be rethought.