TransGas Brazil
Our Fact-Finding Mission
The huge growth potential of Brazil's energy sector has impressed TransGas Development Systems and motivated its President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Adam Harris Victor, to undertake a two-week fact-finding mission to the country in December 2013.
TranGas' extensive mission to Brazil comprised high-level political meetings and discussions with private sector leaders in Brasília, its modernistic capital city; São Paulo, the economic and financial powerhouse; Rio de Janeiro, the emerging and oil energy hub of Latin America; coal-rich Santa Catarina, the state with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the country; and the Northeastern State of Ceará, which that has witnessed the highest industrial and economic growth in Brazil in the last 10 years. Meetings with senior Federal Government officials included the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Industry, Development and Trade, the National Economic and Social Development Bank and the Federal Senate.
TransGas meets the President of the Brazilian National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), Mr. Luciano Coutinho, in the Bank headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
The TransGas executives have also visited the social projects supported by Petrobras-funded Afro Brazilian Business Incubator in the country's first favela, Morro da Providência, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The incubator has already supported the establishment of almost 2,500 small businesses, unleashing the entrepreneurship skills of favela residents and fostering economic growth and sustained poverty reduction. TransGas is currently engaged in discussions on potential long-term collaboration and funding with the Incubator.
TransGas executives have visited the United Nations House in Brasília and met the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) officials leading innovative sustainable development projects with the private sector. UNDP has recently partnered with Brazilian giant Vale, the world's largest mining company, to support various initiatives aimed at fostering sustained human development in the communities that engage in mining activities. TransGas has also met Vale leadership in its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
TransGas meets a favela entrepreneur that has established an award-winning restaurant in Morro da Providência, Rio de Janeiro. View to downtown port region from the restaurant terrace in the favela.
In the Southern State of Santa Catarina, TransGas has visited the coal capital city of Brazil, Criciúma, and was welcome by the coal workers union. TransGas has visited the Clean Coal Technology Centre and Community College (SATC) and met the president of the Brazilian Coal Association (ABCM) to discuss joint projects. The Community College currently serves an impressive number of 6,000 students, which benefit from a number of technical training courses.
TransGas President talks to student of technical training courses at the Clean Coal College in Criciúma.
The Brazil exploratory mission enabled TransGas to estimate that the annual investments in the energy and power infrastructure must surpass US$ 100 billion for the country to meet its growing demand and enable inclusive economic growth in the long-term. TransGas has also assessed that half of the investments should be directed to the transmission and distribution systems. The company is ready to work in collaboration with the Government of Brazil and with its private sector partners in supporting energy investments that will help the country consolidate its position as a global power.
