In order to continue the construction project of the new gas pipeline for the flow of gas in the region, Petrobras signed a protocol of intentions with the government of Sergipe and is now seeking to attract customers to the natural gas market.

Last Monday (13/06), the Brazilian state-owned Petrobras and the Government of the state of Sergipe met to sign a protocol of intentions aimed at the natural gas market in the state. The main objective of the agreement is to expand the natural gas market, attract more customers and to facilitate the construction of the gas pipeline for the fuel flow project in the region.

Government of Sergipe and Petrobras unite to seek new customers for the natural gas market in the state with the signing of a protocol of intentions

Petrobras continues to expand its business portfolio in the natural gas sector, especially after the Bolivian cut in recent weeks, and has now met with the government of Sergipe to sign a protocol of intentions. In this way, the state-owned company seeks to attract the attention of investors in the natural gas sector to the state in order to raise even more capital and make the deep water project in the region viable. 

This is because the state-owned company has a gas production project in deep waters off the coast of Sergipe, which should start operating in 2026, with around 8 million cubic meters per day of gas expected in the initial phase.

However, it is necessary to build a gas pipeline to transport energy with a capacity of 18 million m³/day to the coast. In this way, the protocol of intentions will be able to bring the necessary investments for the project to move forward in the state of Sergipe. 

And, in the strategies that the protocol of intentions is seeking to carry out in the state, the government of Sergipe intends to reduce the collection of ICMS on natural gas for industrial use. In this way, entrepreneurs in the energy sector will be able to verify the possibility of installing new projects in the state and, with this, the region will obtain the necessary collection for the gas pipeline project.

Petrobras announced the feasibility of a natural gas project in the state in 2021 and, since then, has been seeking to accelerate the development of this initiative. 

Memorandum of intent signed between the Government of Sergipe and the Brazilian state-owned company will bring necessary investments for a deepwater project

The project that Petrobras will carry out in the state of Sergipe for the production of natural gas is the first major new frontier being developed by the state-owned company outside the pre-salt layer. Thus, the expectation is that, after the construction of the gas pipeline, the company will be able to install two FPSO-type platforms on the coast of Sergipe to continue the project.

In addition, the first of them (P-81) is expected to start operating in 2026 and will have a production capacity of 120 barrels/day of oil and 8 million m³/day of natural gas.

However, the initiative to build the platform was canceled in May, when the company faced problems regarding investments and project values. Now, the state-owned company returns to the project with the attempt to facilitate the construction of the gas pipeline to continue the initiative for the production of natural gas and oil on the coast of Sergipe. 

Thus, the governor of Sergipe, Belivaldo Chagas (PSD), highlighted the importance of the protocol of intentions signed and said: “Sergipe will have a huge production of natural gas from 2026, so it is necessary to seek its destination, in this sense. , we have been working actively so that Sergipe can attract, from now on, enterprises that consume large amounts of gas”.