Current demand for natural gas in the country is around 90 million m3/day. Brazil has huge potential for the pipeline area and Petrobras cannot be the only agent

The pipeline segment has great potential for expansion in the country with the opening of the natural gas market and greater pre-salt production, in addition to being a transport alternative that allows the movement of large volumes of fuel with lower greenhouse gas emissions. stove. These are some of the conclusions of the debates on the first day of Rio Pipeline 2021, an event promoted by the Brazilian Institute of Oil and Gas (IBP).

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The president of the IBP, Eberaldo de Almeida Neto, pointed out that Petrobras' divestments in the pipeline segment and the New Natural Gas Law open up many opportunities for growth in this market, attracting investments to the country. Brazil still, he says, has a relatively small pipeline network – equivalent to 2% of the US gas pipeline network, for example.

Shell, sees room for the development of hubs and integrated gas projects for sectors such as the chemical and fertilizer industries

The current demand for natural gas in the national market is around 90 million m3/day. Of this total, approximately 40 million m3/day are supplied by national production, 76% of which comes from the pre-salt layer. During the event, possibilities for applying the large volume of additional offshore natural gas in the coming years were discussed.

Alexandre Cerqueira, energy regulatory affairs manager for South America at Shell, sees room for the development of hubs and integrated gas projects for sectors such as the chemical and fertilizer industries. To achieve this goal, he says, investments in new infrastructure will be necessary.

Integrated network is essential for maintaining a sustainable market

Gustavo Labanca, president of TAG, who also believes in diversifying the use of gas, highlighted that having an integrated network is essential for maintaining a sustainable market in the long term, attracting more agents and generating more competition.

Integrating the natural gas pipeline system to meet the demands of the electricity sector is yet another of the challenges that the downstream chain infrastructure faces, according to the speakers. Edmar Almeida, a professor at the Institute of Energy at PUC-Rio, points out that there is plenty of room for growth in gas thermal generation business models. “It is important that thermal plants enter the transport system to take advantage of the gas industry opportunity.”

Brazil has huge potential for the pipeline area and Petrobras cannot be the only agent

For Eberaldo Almeida, president of the IBP, road transport of fuel and other oil derivatives imposes limits on economic growth and full security of supply in the country.

“Pipelines are a safe and clean way to transport fuel,” said Transpetro's Integrated Solutions and Optimization manager, Juter Isensee Neto, highlighting the low carbon footprint of pipeline activity.

“We have enormous potential for the pipeline area and Petrobras cannot be the only agent”, he said, recalling that the sector is going through a transition phase with the sale of Petrobras assets.

As an example of lower emissions, the manager mentioned the oil pipeline that connects São Paulo to Brasília, transporting 800 m3 of products per month. To transport the same amount of fuel, it would take 13.345 trips by truck, which consumes diesel.

The oil and gas sector, which uses pipeline transport, needs to rely on three pillars towards the energy transition

Heloisa Borges Bastos Esteves, director of Oil, Gas and Biofuel Studies at the Energy Research Company (EPE), highlighted that the oil and gas sector, which uses pipeline transport, needs to rely on three pillars towards the energy transition: efficiency, technological evolution and use of renewable sources.

A River Pipeline, one of the most important events in the pipeline sector in the world, will take place this year virtually until Thursday (11.11), and will be attended by over 1.270 delegates from 26 countries.

The event is sponsored by Petrobras, NTS, Rosen, TAG, TBG, ATGÁS, AMPP, Compass, Herrenknecht, Tenaris, Wood and Elastomeros, and has the participation of the Federal Government.