The first day of Rio Oil & Gas, at Riocentro, was marked by the presence of president Michel Temer, by the appointment, made by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Fernando Coelho Filho, of the new Director General of the National Agency of Petroleum (ANP), Decio Oddone, who will replace Magda Chambriard, currently in office, and also by the signature of a memorandum of understanding between Petrobras and the French oil company Total, and by authorities and the industry recognizing the need for greater competitiveness of the oil industry in order to attract investments and generate employment and income.

An important step to increase competitiveness in the national oil industry was the approval by the Lower House of the draft bill that ends with the figure of Petrobras as the single operator of the pre-salt. That was acknowledged by President Temer himself, by Petrobras’ CEO, Pedro Parente, and by the president of the Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute, Jorge Camargo during the opening of the largest oil and gas event in Latin America.

The event was also the venue for the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Petrobras and the French oil company Total, consolidating a strategic alliance for the Exploration, Production and Gas & Power branches. The announcement was made by Parente and by Total’s Global CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, at a press conference.

According to Parente, the memorandum started to be drafted earlier this year, but it does not imply any legal binding. However, it represents a very sound line of intentions and may include areas in which the partnership is already in force, or in future fields. The idea is that the companies shall remain close both for divestments and for new businesses. The state company shall set until the end of the year the projects in which it will partner up with the French oil company.

Total’s Global CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, highlighted that he appreciates the partnerships with Brazil, both here and abroad, stating that the company intends to extend the projects to other areas, such as exploration and production. "Brazil is a big market. There are many opportunities", he said.

Also at Rio Oil & Gas, Prumo Logística and GranEnergia announced the creation of a new company that will provide integrated logistics solutions and services for the oil and gas industry, which will start operating in November, at the Port of Açu. Dome was created with the purpose of contributing to greater efficiency and optimization of costs in projects and operations of the industry, focused also on integrity management and vessel and equipment modernization. The company will cover an area of 47,000 square meters in the Port of Açu, in a privileged location, at the entrance of the channel.