The public consultation by the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) for the modernization of rules for applying 1% of the revenue of oil and gas operators in research, development and innovation (RD&I) received more than 115 contributions, including those of Firjan. Opportunities arising from the evolution of the rules for projects linked to the RD&I clause were discussed at the Firjan Oil and Gas Business Council meeting, on 10/26.

“The main objective is to attack the bureaucracy, without losing regulatory power. In this process of energy transition, the wording of the rules could not raise doubts about the possibility of using these resources in themes related to renewables and decarbonization processes”, explained Alfredo Renault, ANP's Research and Development superintendent. He expects private investment in RD&I to grow, just as it is in the public sector.

The new regulation aims to encourage open innovation, with the inclusion of startups and other micro and small companies as technology providers for large oil companies. “We bet on the change of creating, developing and encouraging mechanisms with the participation of suppliers. It is the supplier that will transform the technology into a product that will be used”, summarized Renault. Along this path, the ANP will be able to help the small ones to get certified so that they can enter the market.

Magda Chambriard, vice president of the Council, approved the measures and questioned: “It is necessary to see how this reverberates in favor of the Brazilian industry in partnership with universities, which cannot only meet Petrobras' demand. The plurality of demanding agents is highly beneficial”.

“Use and dare” was the motto repeated both by Renault and by the other participants in the meeting. "It's a great chance that we have ahead, we can't let it go by", said Bruno Freitas, president of the Council.

Idarilho Nascimento, representative of the company Confab Industrial, considered the project “an important advance for suppliers” and asked for data on the demands of the operators. Karine Fragoso (photo), Firjan's Oil, Gas and Naval manager and advisor to the Council, informed that the federation is already mapping out how the supply chain can meet this demand: “We have to focus our efforts to increase the participation of the national industry”.

In the first part of the meeting, an overview of the oil, natural gas and naval markets was presented, highlighting existing opportunities and those to come, including the bidding round for Transfer of Rights Surpluses, scheduled for December this year . "This will allow the continuity of operations in fields that are already in production in the state of Rio," added Magda. Of the 16 new production units planned by 2025, 14 should be destined for Rio, which will generate a lot of service and demand for labor. Other orders involve the projects of the Brazilian Navy.

In addition to these topics, the importance of natural gas as part of the energy matrix in the transition process was highlighted by Bruno Freitas: “We have hydrogen, wind and solar, but what holds us back is gas as a transition pillar”.