CZPE approves R$ 206 billion in investments and reinforces the Northeast's new industrial frontier

The National Council for Export Processing Zones (CZPE) has approved five new industrial and service projects within the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) of Pecém (Ceará), Bacabeira (Maranhão), and Parnaíba (Piauí), with projected investments totaling R$ 206 billion. Centered on the digital economy, renewable energy, and green steelmaking, these initiatives forecast annual exports in the range of R$ 40 billion starting in 2029, reinforcing the Northeast region's role in attracting capital to sectors linked to the energy transition, innovation, and decarbonization.

Green hydrogen, the digital economy, and sustainable steelmaking take center stage in investments

The largest approved project is located in the Pecém EPZ, where Voltalia Energia do Brasil plans to invest R$ 181.7 billion to establish a data center linked to the expansion of wind and solar farms and the use of reclaimed water for cooling. In Bacabeira, investments include a 4Wood Biotech biorefinery (R$ 2.7 billion); an H2X project for the production and export of green hydrogen incorporated into e-methanol (estimated at R$ 2 billion); and a Hydeas facility for producing Green HBI—or low-carbon sponge iron—with a projected investment of R$ 18.5 billion. In Parnaíba, Hymetalx plans to invest R$ 1.1 billion in a green pig iron facility utilizing hydrogen produced from renewable electricity. Collectively, these projects signal a strategy focused on increasing value-added output, creating jobs, and integrating Brazil into new global value chains for technology, clean energy, and low-carbon industrial production.