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Photo by: Complexo do Pecém.

The Port of Pecém and its strategic alliances with Europe for the production and export of Green Hydrogen (H2V).

The State of Ceará holds great potential for generating renewable solar and wind energy thanks to its location on the Northeastern Salient, being within Brazil’s solar belt (with high annual average radiation) and benefiting from trade winds across its territory, among other factors. Furthermore, the land-sea articulation of Ceará’s coast and its distance from Europe provide, respectively, a satisfactory degree of maritime connectivity and proximity to important international sea routes, facilitating trade exchanges with the European continent, for example.

It is along this coastline, with the aforementioned physiographic characteristics, that the Port of Pecém is located — currently considered the seventh largest in Brazil and the third largest in the Northeast — responsible for handling 19.7 million tons in 2024. Another logistical and operational advantage is its connection with the interior of the State and the rest of Brazil through state highways (CE-020, CE-085, CE-155, CE-156, and CE-576) and federal highways (BR-116 and BR-222). In international maritime transport, it offers four direct long-haul navigation services to Europe, North America, and Asia.

As a critical infrastructure, the State Government has made several investments in the Port of Pecém to strengthen it as an economic development strategy. Currently, the terminal acts as a link in the logistics chain, integrating port and industrial activities, thus serving as a driving hub for development. Consequently, it has been growing operationally due to continuous investments in port superstructures by its Service Providers.

With so many competitive advantages, in October 2018, the Port Authority of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and the State of Ceará signed a bilateral agreement allowing the participation of that European port in the development of Pecém through an investment of 75 million euros, granting it a 30% stake in the enterprise and participation in strategic decisions such as representation on the Executive, Fiscal, and Administrative Boards.

This joint venture resulted from Rotterdam recognizing Pecém as the main logistics and industrial center in Northeastern Brazil, which would enable better international trade flows with the Old World. Not by chance, in February 2021, the State of Ceará launched the Hydrogen Hub in partnership with the Pecém Complex, the Federation of Industries of the State of Ceará, and the Federal University of Ceará.

At the time, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), it was foreseen that the Australian company Energyx Energy would build an H2V plant with an investment of US$ 5.4 billion. As of 2025, more than forty MoUs have been signed with national and foreign companies, reaching an amount exceeding US$ 24 billion. In addition, Ceará has been investing R$ 1.5 billion in the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex (CIPP), with resources from the World Bank, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), and CIPP S/A’s own funds.

The scenario described above aligns with the premise that renewable energy generation potential located near strategic ports encourages the creation of hubs, contributing to market growth and access platforms to other countries. With its port, industrial, export, and energy architecture, CIPP could reduce costs by sharing infrastructures. In fact, the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s 2023–2025 Triennial Work Plan highlighted the installation of hydrogen production plants in port complexes that also include industrial facilities as a competitive advantage.

In May 2023, the Pecém–Rotterdam Green Hydrogen Corridor was established, which would greatly contribute to the conclusion of firm demand contracts — a key factor for accelerating hub development and creating a maritime route for commercialization in the European market.

Considered Europe’s best and largest port infrastructure, Rotterdam is the main gateway to Europe. Its configuration allows access to a market of 440 million consumers, the passage of 30,000 ships per year (maritime transport) and 100,000 by inland waterways. In 2022, during the World Hydrogen Summit, it was announced that 4.6 million tons of H2V would be distributed across Europe by 2030, with 4 million imported.

The top management of the Pecém Complex believes that cooperation with Rotterdam would boost Pecém’s efficiency to compete in the international market. Under such circumstances, the partnership would expand Ceará’s capacity to attract more international investments in port infrastructure and the installation of new industries in the State.

Furthermore, in January 2025, the State Government, the Port of Rotterdam, and the Pecém Complex established new alliances with planned investments of around US$ 24 billion in H2V production projects. This partnership is expected to generate 80,000 new jobs, driving the State’s socioeconomic development.

Extending to Germany, Pecém’s H2V would increase its supply in the European market; Duisport — acting as a central logistics hub in the heart of Europe — would commit to supporting Pecém by sharing its expertise in expanding connections across the continent. To that end, the Port of Rotterdam Authority stated that one of the distribution channels would be through the Delta Rhine Corridor, via pipeline networks connecting Rotterdam to industrial complexes in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

Studies indicate that the demand for H2V from Rotterdam to Germany could reach 20 million tons per year by 2050, of which 18 million would be imported to supply industrial centers located in Chemelot (southeastern Netherlands) and the surroundings of North Rhine-Westphalia (chemical, refinery, and steel industries).

Finally, another milestone characterizing Pecém’s strategic alliances and strengthening the Green Hydrogen Corridor occurred recently, in October 2025, when an MoU was signed with the Port of Rostock — one of Germany’s future green energy ports. With this agreement, "H2V Made in Ceará" would reach the Baltic Sea countries (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).

From the analyses carried out, it can be concluded that Ceará’s physiographic conditions and the location of the Port of Pecém have enabled the judicious exploitation of numerous geoeconomic advantages for H2V production and export to Europe. It is also evident that the strengthening of international cooperation between Pecém, Rotterdam, Duisport, and Rostock aligns with the concepts and premises of strategic alliances, allowing Ceará to become a global protagonist in the ongoing worldwide energy transition.

Finally, the production and export of H2V to the European market would increase the State’s trade surplus; with more foreign exchange inflows, both public authorities and the productive sector would make greater investments benefiting Ceará’s society, making the State’s energy transition economically viable, socially fair, and environmentally sustainable.

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