Petrobras planning to start southeastern Brazil gas pipeline construction in October

Sept. 17, 2004
Brazil's state-owned Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) plans to start construction of a 490 km natural gas pipeline in southeastern Brazil next month.

Peter Howard Wertheim
OGJ Correspondent
RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 17 -- Brazil's state-owned Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) plans to start construction of a 490 km natural gas pipeline in southeastern Brazil next month.

Ildo Sauer, Petrobras gas director, said that the pipeline will link Campinas, in Sâo Paulo state, with an existing gas pipeline in Japeri, near Rio de Janeiro state. The new pipeline will have an 8.7 million cu m/day capacity. Commercial operation of the 28 in. line is expected in 2007.

The project also is considered essential to take gas from deepwater reserves in Campos and Santos basins to Brazil's interior.

The southeastern pipeline is the first in a series of projects to stimulate a more-comprehensive use of gas in Brazil's power matrix, including its use in the petrochemical industry (OGJ Online, July 11, 2004).