NTS Plans Gas Transport Capacity Expansion in Southeastern Brazil

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Brazilian gas-transport companies are taking strategic measures to strengthen the country's energy matrix by making the natural gas supply to the main consumption areas in the southeastern and southern regions more flexible. Currently, the country's main metropolis, São Paulo, is predominantly supplied by Bolivian gas imported through the Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline. This pipeline is operated by the mixed-capital company Transportadora Brasileira Gasoduto Bolívia-Brasil S.A. (TBG).

To reduce dependency on imported gas and promote the use of gas produced in the Presal areas near the state of Rio de Janeiro, pipeline operator Nova Transportadora do Sudeste (NTS) (Rio de Janeiro) has proposed the installation of over 300 kilometers of pipelines and the expansion of the compression and transport capacity of the system connecting the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

The project named Pre-sal Gas Path System ("Corredor Pre-Sal") will be developed in two phases. Its objective is to increase the transport capacity of the bilateral Campinas-Rio de Janeiro gas pipeline, known as GASCAR, which currently transports 12.5 million cubic meters per day (Cbm/d) of natural gas from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.

In the first stage, NTS aims to increase the GASCAR pipeline transport capacity to 20 million Cbm/d. The primary goal of this improvement is to enhance the resilience of TBG's network in case of a reduction in the supply of Bolivian gas. To achieve this, NTS plans to construct a new compression station in Japeri, Rio de Janeiro.

The second stage of the project involves an even greater expansion, raising the capacity to approximately 25 million Cbm/d. This will require doubling the existing pipelines and building new compression stations. These measures will not only improve the country's energy security but also reduce dependency on Bolivian gas imports and the exposure to volatile liquefied natural gas prices in the international market.

The "Corredor Pré-sal" project also will enable TBG, the operator responsible for the main transport networks in Brazil's southern region, to continue investing in increasing the gas supply to the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Pipelines Project Database can click here for a full list of related project reports.

Industrial Info is tracking 224 projects, worth US$3.39 billion, aimed at expanding and strengthening Brazil's natural gas transport system, with more than US$1 billion allocated to the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Click here for a full list of projects.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).