IBP releases 2019 events calendar for oil and gas sector
With Petrobras Directors, event brought together O&G industry businessmen to discuss perspectives and investments
The Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute (IBP) released its 2019 events calendar for oil and gas sector on March 22, at Rio de Janeiro. José Firmo, IBP president meet the new Petrobras directors to discuss perspectives to the energy sector. Anelise Lara, Executive Director of Refining and Natural Gas, Carlos Alberto Pereira de Oliveira, Exploration and Production (E&P) Executive Director and Rudimar Lorenzatto, Executive Director of Submarine Systems in the Production & Technology Development Office, addressed how the new industry scenario can impact companies’ planning and investments.
“In a positive scenario of resumption, the sector searches for space to exchange trends between new companies and those already consolidated in the country. Aiming to increase connections and collaborate to industry development, IBP focus on convert the events in a major knowledge platform”, declared Victor Montenegro, IBP Events Manager.
Refining and Natural Gas
Petrobras Executive Director of Refining and Natural Gas, Anelise Lara, said the company looking forward to work together with industry, attracting new players that can contribute to a dynamic and competitive sector. The natural gas national market, for example, has an almost exclusive domain of Petrobras, being a monopoly for regulatory reasons. Today, the company intends an active portfolio management to ensure a better return on invested capital.
Nowadays, the natural gas national demand is 80 million cubic meters per day, but the production is 50 million cubic meters per day. Another 23 million cubic meters are imported from Bolivia and is still necessary 7 million cubic meters of GNL. “Brazil still is an importer country and the gas price is altered because we don’t have the same availability of USA market. To reduce this resource will be necessary investments to increase the internal production of Brazil.
According to José Firmo, IBP president, Brazil is experiencing a reindustrialization and transformation opportunity throughout natural gas. “We create a mean capable to generate associated gas in volume and quantity to initiate an industrial revolution in Brazil. Now, the goal is to decide what we will do with this opportunity in the next years: deviates gas, to injection and export, or use it to stimulate a transformation similar to what USA did to foment their industry. The intention is that Brazil may compete worldwide using a resource with an extraordinary component to energy transition, the low carbon”, highlighted.
Anelise defended the need of a national operator to manage all gas meshes. “Today, Petrobras is in charge of this management, but after a market opening for new entrants, this is useless. There is necessary an external operator”, added.
E&P
The oil industry is facing a challenge with an increasingly participation of renewable resources. “We are a modern industry and able to show great results, evolving with society demands. In the next five years, 80% of Petrobras investments will be in exploration and production segment. It’s almost US$ 70 billion. The majority of these investments will be in deep water. And, from this total, US$ 11 billion shall be invested in exploration. We are a deep water company”, attested Carlos Alberto Pereira de Oliveira, Petrobras Exploration and Production (E&P) Executive Director.
The aftereffect of the company current position is the divestment of assets in onshore fields and shallow waters, boosting investments in ocean and giving opportunities for others players to invest and create partnerships that aggregate value to industry. On Campos basin, for example, Petrobras plans the complete divestment of shallow water assets to amplify investment in others fields. According to Oliveira, the company has a restoration plan to matured assets on Campos basin. “Our goal is to have more efficiency in matured assets in Campos basin, that concentrates 40% of Petrobras production. We are expanding investments from the extension of the term of existing concession contracts. We have worked to increase the oil recovery factor, along with strategic partnerships with O&G companies. We are making the revitalization of some fields, foreseeing in some cases the replacement of old platforms for new ones. We have made pre-salt discoveries in existing fields and acquired large exploratory blocks in the 2017 and 2018 ANP bidding rounds”, complemented.
Development of Production and Technology
The ambition of the new management of Petrobras is security, cost reduction, productivity and profitability in assets and projects. The company is in process of recovering and is adjusting its management model to ensure more growth. In that picture, Rudimar Lorenzatto, Executive Manager of Submarine Systems in the Production & Technology Development Office, reinforced that “exists four main aspects that define the pursuit of better results: security and respect for environment in operations; business sustainability such as projects and studies seeking renewable and alternative sources; new technologies, especially those which respond to major pre-salt projects; and portfolio profitability”. In this framework, both digital transformation and Petrobras’ investments to encourage the use of startups operate across these four areas.
“We have a span to capture value in digital transformation and we know other segments of industry are advanced. The startups, for example, are strategical to Petrobras, and the expectation to 2019 is to intensify their participation in the company technological system. This can generate significant partnerships”, affirmed.
In relation to the technologies used to company’s future, he mentioned some that are research subjects such as the use of AUVs at underwater activities, the reduction of diving operations and artificial intelligence to increase safety in operations on drilling rigs and similar vessels.
2019 Events Calendar
Between this year’s major events are the Discussion Cycle with topics relate to energy transition, the Brazil Offshore, the Oil & Gas Regulation International Benchmark Forum, Coteq, Rio Automação, O&G Techweek, Gas Seminar, Rio Pipeline, OTC Brasil 2019, Energy Associations Summit and the World Compliance Conference.