Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
The Oil and Gas Industry Begins to Show Early Signs of Recovery in Rio de Janeiro. Macaé, the Star City of the Campos Basin, Tries to Rebuild After the Major Crisis That Affected the Sector
About 180 km from the capital of Rio, roughly a 2:30 hour trip northeast of the State, Macaé earned the nickname National Capital of Oil, and is a good example for a conversation about how the sector is doing currently. But before we comment on the 2018 scenario, we invite you on a quick journey to show how this city grew from oil exploration.
Rise and Crisis in Macaé
In the year 1980 or 82, the big international companies began to arrive, causing a huge “Boom” in oil production, the city went through a growth restoration process, let’s say a Chinese one… But in 2014/2015 came the Petrobras scandals, the price of a barrel of oil plummeted and Brazil plunged into economic crisis, causing the National Capital of Oil to come to a halt.
More than 40 thousand jobs in the oil sector have been lost in the last 4 years. There were no more entrepreneurs from the sector interested in buying the city’s industrial land, nor guests in the hotel sector, causing a cascading effect throughout the city’s economy, as many businesses relocated and the residents who earned their income here were forced to move to another municipality.
-
Government unlocks R$ 554 million for a highway that has been requested for decades and accelerates the duplication of BR.
-
Without bricks, without cement, and without endless construction: the cardboard house that is assembled in modules and can be moved.
-
Billions of barrels on the equatorial margin could lead Amapá to double its oil production in Brazil — the state aims to enter the route of companies in the Campos Basin, attract investments, and boost jobs and businesses in the oil and gas sector.
-
Without bricks, without cement, and without endless construction: the cardboard house that is assembled in modules and can be moved.
Macaé is a Favorite of Major Oil Companies
But in September of last year, lots in the Campos Basin were once again contested at the auction after 10 years, all offered areas were sold. Just by signing contracts for six offshore blocks, Petrobras and the American ExxonMobil paid more than 3 billion reais. And last Thursday a new record was set, the fifteenth round of auctions raised more than eight billion reais, with a highlight, of course, for the Campos Basin, which borders the city of Macaé.
The scenario has become more attractive after regulatory changes, and the National Petroleum Agency predicts three more auctions by the end of 2019.
The agency expects companies to invest more than 80 billion dollars in 300 offshore wells throughout Brazil, with more than 10 billion recoverable barrels that could yield over 100 billion in oil royalties.
Types of Companies That Will Settle in Bellavista Park
Returning to Macaé, signs of gradual recovery are appearing: the BelLavista Industrial Park has also been progressing slowly, managing to sell only 1 plot in 2015 and another in 2016, but in 2017 with this new auction scenario, the situation started to look a bit different, in fact, 4 companies purchased spaces. The companies that settled included food and hospitality at sea, valve maintenance, welding, and industrial waste treatment. In addition to these, many other companies are interested and the demand is looking very good, a clear sign that the city will regain strength in this area! Watch the video of a report from Globo News
Seja o primeiro a reagir!