The oil, gas and mining sectors will have government resources of around R $ 220 million in research, development and innovation (RD&I) projects. The signing ceremony of the terms of cooperation took place yesterday, December 16, in Rio de Janeiro, and was attended by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque. The projects to be implemented with these resources involve Petrobras, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) and the Brazilian Geological Survey SGB / CPRM.

“Today is a very important day. We will sign this agreement between Petrobras, ANP and CPRM, which will not only redeem an important collection that we have, but also for the investments that will be made in the future in oil and gas exploration and also in the mineral sector, of an important importance. incredible for the country like ours, which has over 80 mineral commodities. We have to add value to this heritage we have, ”said Bento Albuquerque.

“On the other hand - added the Minister - this cooperation between the agency, Petrobras and CPRM will allow a traditional building to be rescued in Rio de Janeiro. And this will be important not only for our research, technological development and innovation, but also for the population of Rio de Janeiro, the population of Brazil will have another historic building, a museum to visit, with a wonderful collection. ”

The purpose of this cooperation is to promote integrated management of national geological knowledge, technological development and research innovation in these segments. For the Minister, the initiative will facilitate the access of companies and research institutions to all this material. According to Bento Albuquerque, a strategic partnership that will also allow the expansion of geological knowledge of the Brazilian sedimentary basins through the development of research, development and innovation projects.

The revitalization of the Earth Science Museum is one of the projects to be implemented in this cooperation. With resources that reach the $ 123 million, the museum will have its space of 22 thousand square meters all reorganized and modernized. According to the SGB / CPRM, the modernization of the infrastructure of laboratories and equipment will allow the expansion and development of a series of own R&D projects in partnership with other institutions. The Museum of Earth Sciences has one of the largest collections of fossils, rocks and meteorites in Latin America, as well as a vast bibliographic and documentary collection, consisting of maps, photographs and scientific equipment. The project is expected to be completed by 2022.

The exploration and production of oil and gas are also included in the contracts, which seek to stimulate research and the adoption of new technologies for the sector. The R & D Clause states that fields with large production must have a percentage of their gross revenue invested in research, development and innovation (1% for concession and sharing contracts and 0.5% for onerous assignment). The ANP is responsible for analyzing, approving, monitoring and supervising the application of the resources arising from the R&D Clause.

Projects for the construction of a PD&I SGB Network were also approved by the ANP, and will be composed of rocks and fluids from oil basins, with units in the North, Northeast and Southeast that will receive, store and manage the use of the drilling testimonies and rock samples, which are now under the custody of Petrobras.

For the construction of the Geoscience Reference Center and the libraries that will compose the PD&I SGB Network, an investment of around R $ 100 million is estimated. This complex will put the Geological Survey of Brazil on an equal footing with the world's leading geological services such as the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Canadian CSC, and the Australian Geoscience Australia (GA).