Map Key · 14 de outubro de 2026
Export processing zone (ZPE)
A ZPE, or export processing zone, is an industrial area with special customs and tax treatment for companies that produce for sale abroad. Brazil has four ZPEs in operation, and Pecém, in Ceará, active since 2013, is the only one with relevant results, according to the federal comptroller (CGU).
How it works
A ZPE is treated as a free trade area with the rest of the world. Companies inside get suspension of federal taxes on inputs and machinery, bought in Brazil or imported, and can keep export proceeds abroad. The legal basis is Law 11,508/2007.
How many ZPEs Brazil has
Four ZPEs are in operation: Pecém (Ceará), active since 2013; Parnaíba (Piauí), since 2022; and Cáceres (Mato Grosso) and Uberaba (Minas Gerais), since 2024, according to a CGU review reported by O Povo. Others are authorized and being implemented, such as Bataguassu (Mato Grosso do Sul), Suape (Pernambuco) and Açu (Rio de Janeiro). In May 2026, the sector association counted 13 ZPEs created: 4 in operation and 9 being implemented. Companies at Pecém include steelmaker ArcelorMittal and White Martins.
For comparison, China has more than 2,000 national and provincial economic development zones, according to China Daily. Brazil makes little use of a tool the world uses widely.
Why it matters now
At Pecém, the ZPE has started to host data center projects. According to the newspaper O Povo, the one by Omnia for ByteDance, owner of TikTok, is the first of five data centers authorized to operate in the Ceará ZPE.
What tends to stay out of view
The Ceará ZPE has stated that, by law, it cannot disclose commercial, operational or financial data of the companies installed there. So what reaches the public is usually the announcement, not the result.
The view from next door. Inside the fence, a ZPE works like a piece of the world. Outside it are the towns that supply workers, water, housing and roads. A neighboring municipality asks what the ZPE buys and hires in the region.
Related terms
Ler em português: ZPE (Zona de Processamento de Exportação)
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