The Salvador Convention Center became, this Wednesday (27), one of the main meeting points of the Brazilian energy sector with the opening of Bahia Oil & Gas Energy 2026. Bringing together industry representatives, investors, experts, universities, and public officials, the event kicked off with debates focused on the future of the oil, gas, and energy chain in the North and Northeast of the country.

Right on the first day, the event highlighted an increasingly strong movement of transformation in the sector, driven by the expansion of offshore operations, the pursuit of technological innovation, and the need for integration between economic development, sustainability, and professional training.

During the opening ceremony, the director of Bahia Oil & Gas Energy, Nicolás Honorato, underscored the moment of expansion being experienced by the energy segment in the region. "We are facing a new stage for the North and Northeast market. Bahia Oil & Gas Energy exists precisely to connect companies, technical knowledge, and real business opportunities in a scenario of offshore activity growth," he stated.

Honorato also stressed the importance of bringing industry and scientific production closer together. "The sector needs research, training, and technical dialogue to grow competitively," he declared when commenting on the participation of universities, researchers, and specialized professionals in this edition's program.

The opening brought together representatives from the National Agency of Petroleum (ANP), business associations, and members of the Government of Bahia, reinforcing the institutional significance of the event. The presence of public authorities and energy sector leaders signaled the interest in expanding investments, strengthening the productive chain, and consolidating Bahia as one of Brazil's main energy hubs.

Throughout the day, technical panels, business rounds, and conferences addressed topics such as international geopolitics, upstream challenges, energy transition, industrial innovation, and new opportunities for national suppliers. Among the program's highlights was the plenary on the impacts of global geopolitics on Brazilian North and Northeast Upstream, which brought together representatives from major companies and energy market experts.

During the debate, Anabal Santos, CEO of Solução Energia, drew attention to the strategic challenges of the Brazilian oil sector in the face of the international landscape. "After all, oil is the main product in Brazil's export agenda and has the capacity to generate a very large amount of social well-being, especially here in the Northeast. So we need to resume this agenda so that Brazil does its homework and does not, in a short-term scenario—the outlook is until 2030—if nothing is done, go back to importing oil," he pointed out.

At the ESG Arena, the focus was on the social impact of the industry, with debates on mental health, well-being, and territorial development in producing regions. During one of the panels, Artur Aiello, Rig and Services Safety Manager at PetroReconcavo, highlighted the importance of broadening the perspective on emotional health within the corporate environment of the energy industry.

"By implementing mental health fundamentals, you begin to unravel the toughness and harshness that we traditionally have in the industry. For more structured self-awareness, so that people can generate value in themselves first and, as they discover how to generate this value and discover themselves as individuals, they can radiate this to the collective," he analyzed.

Psychologist and mental health consultant Juliana Gomes also reinforced the importance of initiatives focused on the emotional care of workers in the sector. "In light of this, thinking about health, health promotion, well-being, and mental health programs for these workers is a way for us to ensure high performance in an industry that needs results, and also to make sure that this high performance is sustainable," she emphasized.

The Innovation Arena brought digital transformation and the advancement of artificial intelligence in oil and gas sector operations to the center of the debate at Bahia Oil & Gas Energy 2026.

"The transformation and acceleration taking place with the use of AI in the oil and gas landscape is very significant, because we are managing to do things that took much longer in the past—given the process and all the experimentation that needed to be executed—much faster with this technological resource. But it needs to be used with a great deal of responsibility, because when we talk about digital transformation and the use of AI, we bring some accelerators, but we also end up opening doors to certain security risks," said Ivan de Oliveira, Head of Oil and Gas at TIVIT.

The program also expanded space for professional training, with technical courses and activities focused on workforce qualification for the sector.

In addition to the economic activity, Bahia Oil & Gas Energy 2026 opened space for debates on Brazil's energy future in a global context marked by technological transformations and changes in the international energy market.

With representatives from different countries and companies from various segments of the productive chain, the event began by reinforcing Bahia's capacity to bring together business, knowledge, and strategic coordination around one of the most relevant sectors of the national economy.

Bahia Oil & Gas Energy continues this Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, gathering companies, experts, and authorities to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the energy sector in Brazil.