With the increase in thermoelectric energy due to the water crisis, the balance between supply and demand for natural gas should come under severe stress in the coming months. Due to both cyclical and structural factors, there may not be enough gas for all plants, even in the face of record imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), experts say. The Brazilian market is served by three sources: domestic production represents practically half of the country’s gas supply, while imported LNG and Bolivian production account for a quarter of the supply each, according to data from Petrobras. The president of Gas Energy, Rivaldo Moreira Neto, says that all three sources are currently facing some kind of limitation. Bolivia, which has already delivered more than 30 million m3/day to Brazil in the past, today has a contract with Petrobras for shipment of up to 20 million m3/day. In the case of LNG, WoodMackenzie estimates that imports reached a monthly record in July of 28.8 million m3/day. On the national supply side, Moreira Neto cites the delay in the construction of the Route 3 gas pipeline, which will only be ready in 2022.
Sources: Valor Econômico/Datamar News