Natural gas: The option for a sustainable development and energy in the state of Amazonas

Abstract

The historical scenery of the fossil fuels used for power generation in the state of Amazonas (AM), indicates a great economic loss and imposes severe restrictions on the regional development of the region. This urged the necessity of seeking alternative energy sources that are cleaner, safer and less expensive. In this way, the province of Urucu's natural gas, in Coari-city of the state of Amazonas (AM), presents itself as the best short term option to substitute the petroleum derived liquid fuels by the natural gas for operating thermoelectric power plants not only in the city of Manaus-capital of the state of Amazonas, but also in the other seven cities in the state along the main trajectory of the Coari-Manaus pipeline. Additionally, natural gas can be considered as a viable option for the implantation of the natural gas based chemical pole in the state. In a manner the natural gas will be used for the implantation of many gas based projects highly sustainable and will certainly result in numerous improvements in the state of Amazonas from the social, economic and ambient points of view. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.