Tenaris will supply 145km of 20” pipes, produced from steel plates provided by Brazilian steel provider Usiminas, for the second phase of construction of the first Brazilian ethanol pipeline. This phase of the project will link Ribeirão Preto to Uberaba (Minas Gerais). The pipes measure 15m and require fewer connectors in the field. “This specification reduces the installation costs significantly, and creates a new concept in supply which could be applied in the following phases”, says Tenaris line pipe sales coordinator in Brazil, Vinícius Santos. The official inauguration of the first phase took place in August at Ribeirão Preto.
The construction of the ethanol pipeline, which began in 2011, reached an important milestone in July. The National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Alternative Energy (ANP) authorised the commercialisation of ethanol in the first stretch of the pipeline, which links the Ribeirão Preto terminal (San Pablo state) to the refinery in Paulínia (San Pablo state). Tenaris delivered 209km of 24” pipes, produced using steel plates supplied by Usiminas, for this stretch of the pipeline. The ethanol pipeline brings alternative energy to five Brazilian states at the culmination of its first stage of operation.