Brazil's Braskem readies first battery project to reduce carbon emissions
By Leticia Fucuchima
SAO PAULO, July 18 (Reuters) -Brazilian petrochemical producer Braskem BRKM5.SA is moving forward with its first project to use large batteries in industrial units, replacing part of its thermoelectric power generation with them in order to reduce carbon emissions.
The initiative has received the technical greenlight and operations might start in 2026, an executive told Reuters, adding that the first part of the plan is set to be implemented at a plant in Rio Grande do Sul state.
Braskem's initiative comes in line with those of other large Brazilian companies that have been testing the technology as part of their decarbonization plans.
Mining giant Vale, for example, has been using batteries to store power during the day and use it during peak demand times, when electricity is more expensive - a move known as "peak shaving."
Braskem has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 15% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The firm's head of energy and decarbonization, Gustavo Checcucci, said in an interview that the use of batteries couldchange the way petrochemical plants operate.
As part of an electro-intensive industry that requires stable and uninterrupted power supply, Braskem has its own thermoelectric generation at its plants, as it cannot be subject to possible power outages from the national grid.
The proposal now is to replace part of these thermoelectric assets, which are fired by the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, with electricity from the battery-supported network.
The first stage of the plan foresees the installation of a 9.5 megawatt (MW) battery-energy storage system (BESS) at the Rio Grande do Sul plant, Checcucci said.
It will be able to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 65,000 metric tons per year. Further expansion plans would lead to a reduction of as much as 170,000 tons per year and potentially more, the executive added.
Braskem is also exploring other possibilities to cut down emissions, including power factor correction, demand response programs and peak shaving, Checcucci said.
Reporting by Leticia Fucuchima; Editing by Andrea Ricci
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