Açu Petróleo, a joint venture between Prumo Logística and the German Oiltanking, signed a contract with Petrobras that will more than double the volume of oil exported by the oil company at the Porto do Açu terminal. The agreement, signed in April, foresees the flow of up to 240 million barrels of oil, or about 300,000 barrels per day (BPD), within two years at the terminal in São João da Barra (RJ). Petrobras has been exporting part of its production through the port in northern Rio de Janeiro since 2019. According to Victor Bomfim, president of Açu Petróleo, Brazilian oil exports have grown at a rate of 20% to 30% per year since 2018, especially for the sales to the East, mainly China. In this context, Açu Petróleo is preparing to equip its terminal with an oil-storage park and connect via pipeline to the railway network in the state of Rio. The forecast is for investments of around R$ 2.5 billion. The works should start in the second semester. Açu Petróleo can currently handle up to 1.2 million BPD of oil, with the possibility of expanding to 2 million. It is expected that the terminal will have a 5.7 million barrel tanking capacity. Operations will start between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Currently, Brazil exports around 1.3 million BPD. EPE’s forecast is that by 2030, the country will become one of the five largest oil exporters in the world, with 65% of its oil sold abroad.
Sources: Valor/Datamar News