Equinor CEO warns at Gas Week that 12% export tax compromises gas projects in Brazil

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 28/04/2026 at 22:54

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Equinor Brazil CEO says at Gas Week 2026 that 12% export tax has a direct impact on the viability of natural gas projects in the country

Equinor Brazil CEO, Veronica Coelho, warned this Monday, April 28, 2026, that the export tax on crude oil directly affects the economic viability of natural gas projects in Brazil — and not just oil projects, according to a report by Eixos.

The statement was made during Gas Week 2026, an event held in Brasília on April 28 and 29.

Tax burden reaches 27% of gross revenue

According to Coelho, when the 12% export tax is added to royalties and other taxes, the government takes up to 27% of a project’s gross revenue.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Raia Project: US$ 9 billion and 50% completed

Equinor is the operator of the Raia Project (formerly BM-C-33), one of the largest natural gas projects under development in Brazil.

The total investment is US$ 9 billion, and the work is 50% completed.

Brazil is Equinor’s largest investment destination outside Norway.

For the company, tax predictability is essential to maintain the schedule and attract new investments to the gas sector.

Gas Week 2026 brings together key executives from the sector

Gas Week 2026 is the largest C-Level gathering in Brazil’s natural gas market.

The event brings together CEOs and executives from major operators, representatives from regulatory bodies such as ANP and ANEEL, as well as consultancies and investment banks.

Key topics include gas market regulation, biomethane, Latin American energy integration, and new commercialization models.

Coelho’s statement reinforces the debate on Brazil’s competitiveness as an investment destination in the gas sector, especially at a time when the country seeks to expand domestic supply to reduce dependence on LNG imports.

Equinor CEO warns at Gas Week that 12% export tax compromises gas projects in Brazil

Equinor Brazil CEO says at Gas Week 2026 that 12% export tax has a direct impact on the viability of natural gas projects in the country

Tax burden reaches 27% of gross revenue

Raia Project: US$ 9 billion and 50% completed

Gas Week 2026 brings together key executives from the sector

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Equinor CEO warns at Gas Week that 12% export tax compromises gas projects in Brazil

Equinor Brazil CEO says at Gas Week 2026 that 12% export tax has a direct impact on the viability of natural gas projects in the country

Tax burden reaches 27% of gross revenue

Raia Project: US$ 9 billion and 50% completed

Gas Week 2026 brings together key executives from the sector

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

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