Petrobras President Magda Chambriard announced on Thursday (28) investments of around R$ 60 billion in Sergipe, which should double the Northeast Region's share of natural gas supply, from the current 16% to 31% by 2035, according to a note from "Agência Brasil". Chambriard spoke to journalists anticipating the investments that will be announced this Friday (29) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during a visit to the state. Among the main projects in Sergipe are the new Sergipe Deep Water (Seap) 1 and 2 platforms, as well as a gas pipeline for transporting natural gas from the platforms to land. These are unprecedented platforms, according to the president of the state-owned company, as each one has an onboard Natural Gas Processing Unit (UPGN). “This is a new development that makes a grand project like this viable, a project of inestimable value for oil and gas production in the Northeast and for the country as a whole,” said Chambriard. According to Petrobras, the platforms will produce approximately 100,000 barrels of oil per day each, and together they will produce 22 million cubic meters of gas, of which 18 million will be destined for the coast via the gas pipeline. SBM Offshore will be responsible for the construction of the two platforms. Oil production is scheduled to begin in 2030, with gas exports starting in 2031. According to Petrobras, negotiations have already been concluded and contracts are about to be signed. SBM, which won the bid, will operate the platforms for six and a half years. After that period, they will become the property of Petrobras.
Factory
During the visit to Sergipe, the nitrogen fertilizer factory (Fafen) in the municipality of Laranjeiras will be reopened, with an estimated production of 7% of the nitrogen fertilizers that Brazil demands. Together with other factories in Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná, and Bahia, the country will produce 35% of the nitrogen fertilizers it needs. This month, during a visit to Fafen in Camaçari, Bahia, President Lula emphasized that currently the country imports a large part of the fertilizer it needs. "Brazil is an agricultural country. Brazil is the second largest food producer. And Brazil needs fertilizer. And Brazil cannot be an importer of 90% of the fertilizer that our agriculture needs. Brazil needs to be its own boss and produce its own fertilizers," Lula stated in a speech during the visit. The third project highlighted by Chambriard is the decommissioning of 26 shallow-water platforms. “These are platforms located in a production region that has been operating offshore for over 50 years and are nearing the end of their life cycles,” he explained, emphasizing that the process of disconnecting the platforms is also a commitment by Petrobras to the environment. In total, investments in all projects, according to Petrobras, exceed R$ 72.5 billion in the state of Sergipe, generating 28,000 direct and indirect jobs.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.