(Project concluded on November 30, 2020)

This project will develop a simulation model inspired by the blue corridors concept. This idea was proposed and has been debated for nearly a decade, and some experiments are already active in Europe and the United States. Blue corridors are routes for road transport (usually trucks) using natural gas (compressed – CNG – or liquefied – LNG). The diesel, mainly used by trucks, is the energy source that most presses Brazilian refining capacity, generating deficits of billions of dollars annually in the Brazilian trade balance. On the other hand, Brazil has abundant natural gas reserves and currently the world has recognized natural gas as a more sustainable energy solution for the transport sector, especially loads road transport (trucks). The objectives of this study are:

• To set the location of a blue corridor in the State of São Paulo;
• To carry out a survey of the necessary infrastructure for its deployment, including the costs of adapting vehicles to use natural gas;
• To conduct a substitution simulation of the diesel fuelled truck fleet for same size vehicles powered by natural gas and estimate fuel consumption and pollutants and greenhouse gases emissions.
• To propose industrial policies and strategies that could lead to development and implementation of the blue corridor in São Paulo.