According to a report by the Brazilian state-controlled energy research company (EPE), the country needs at least eight gas pipeline projects, with a combined extension of 2,300 kilometers, requiring investments estimated at $5.1 billion.
Such pipelines are required for the transportation of gas to the central areas of Brazil, as the current pipeline network is mostly located in coastal areas.
With a diameter estimated at 24 inches and 16 millimeters in thickness, such a pipeline network will require an estimated 560,000 mt of heavy plates of the API grade for its construction.
The local oil company, Petrobras, has recently concluded its first import of natural gas from the Vaca Muerta shale reserves in Argentina, using for transportation the pipeline that links Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina, that was previously used for the export of the Bolivian gas.
An alternative to this route, allowing for the direct supply from Argentina to Brazil, will require the construction of a pipeline linking the cities of Uruguaiana and Porto Alegre. With 593 kilometers in length, it would require estimated 145,000 mt of heavy plates.
