How Brazil plans to expand its natural gas output

Brazil’s government has presented an ambitious plan to expand its natural gas network, with BRL 42 billion (USD 7.9 billion) in proposed investments meant to strengthen energy security and diversify supply. The National Integrated Plan for Natural Gas and Biomethane Infrastructure (PNIIGB), unveiled this week for public consultation, identifies 13 projects ranging from cross-border connections with Argentina to new pipelines linking Brazil’s pre-salt fields to the mainland.

The Energy Research Company (EPE), which prepared the plan, describes it as a portfolio that could be offered to private investors through competitive processes overseen by the oil and gas regulator. According to the agency, the priority was to select projects that enhance diversification, reduce logistical bottlenecks and integrate renewable fuels such as biomethane into the existing system.

One of the central elements is a long-discussed integration with Argentina. A nearly 600-kilometer pipeline connecting the border town of Uruguaiana to Triunfo, in Rio Grande do Sul, would allow the import of up to 15 million cubic meters of gas per day. At an estimated BRL 8.9 billion, the proposal would complete a project first sketched out in the early 2000s.