Brazil is experiencing a moment of opportunities in the natural gas market, with the forecast of increased supply both onshore and offshore, along with the potential for investments in the gas pipeline network, as outlined in the discussions of the first day of Rio Pipeline.

According to Rudimar Lorenzatto, Vice President of Operations at Karoon, independent operators, more focused on onshore reserves and mature fields, face the main challenges of "developing the supply chain, increasing production and asset life, as well as working towards reducing royalties" in mature areas.

Rachid Felix, Commercial and Corporate Director at 3R Petroleum, emphasized the need for companies to operate with optimized and integrated logistics. "New operators should review their logistical operation with synergy, considering demand and scale, such as the shared use of onshore and offshore pipelines, and processing plants."

Francisco Francilmar Fernandes, Operations Director of PRIO, also sees asset sharing as a way to promote the development of smaller companies. "We have learned a lot from the international experience and how it creates a virtuous cycle. We are progressing in this aspect in Brazil. The path is to stimulate a more dynamic market, in partnership."

Alongside the increase in gas supply, the sector is undergoing a phase of expanding the pipeline network, with the aim of serving sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, requiring significant investments for the transition to energy technological routes. This also addresses the possibility of new sustainable natural gas corridors for vehicle use (CNG). "There are two mature corridors ready to be launched, such as Via Dutra and the Northeastern Coastal," evaluated Luiz Gavazza, President of the Brazilian Association of Distributors of Pipelined Gas Companies and Bahiagás.

Claudia Brun, Vice President of Value Chains at Equinor, highlighted the importance of advancements in regulation and legal certainty, factors that influenced the declaration of commerciality of the BMC 33 gas field. "Clear public policies are important for major investment decisions, and any interventionist mechanism will always have an impact," she said.

According to Sylvie D’Apote, Executive Director of Natural Gas at IBP, the global scenario with the war in Ukraine has changed the perception of natural gas due to its scarcity. She says that the debate has shifted from the benefits of renewable energies to the need for energy security provided by gas.

Opportunities in the gas segment

The discussion with leaders of major players in the sector continued with CEO Talks, hearing from the presidents of NTS and Transpetro.

Erick Portela, CEO of NTS, highlighted that the natural gas market in Brazil is going through a "disruptive" phase towards production growth through expanding supply with Gaslub, Sergipe deep waters, and BMC 33. "We will have the greatest availability of gas in the century, which will lead to gas imports becoming complementary."

In this scenario, NTS is investing in various pipeline network expansion projects to increase supply in mature natural gas markets.

Sérgio Bacci, President of Transpetro, discussed the importance of maintaining the safety, integrity, and operability of the existing pipeline network. "For us, safety is non-negotiable."

Bacci highlighted the agreement with CTDUT - Pipeline Technology Center, worth R$ 5 million. "We are considering expanding this agreement to study new technology. Whatever we can do to improve safety in pipeline operations, we will do," he concluded.

ESG

In the special session "Pipeline transportation and climate change: are we prepared for the future?", Carlos Victal, Sustainability Manager of IBP and panel moderator, emphasized that the pipeline segment can effectively contribute to reducing emissions throughout the oil and gas sector chain. "If we start with a technical standard that creates the baseline for the decarbonization of a segment, we can invest in R&D to mitigate emissions through this standard." He also pointed out that the pipeline sector currently accounts for only 10% of the total emissions from the Oil and Gas sector.

Cesar Vinciprova, Coordinator of Environment and Sustainability at NTS, highlighted that one of the most important insights for NTS was to treat the carbon strategy as a company project.