Petrobras is considering installing offshore units to liquefy the growing natural gas production from the so-called pre-salt area. Viviana Coelho, the company’s emissions and climate change, manager said LNG units could be an alternative for the gas associated with oil produced at the deep-water exploratory region located more than 100 miles off the coast.
It was unclear if a projected program has a timeframe. Petrobras currently relies on offshore pipelines to bring natural gas produced offshore to the coast for processing. Lack of infrastructure to ship offshore natural gas to the coast is seen as a possible limitation for rising oil production at the pre-salt. The Brazilian company used 97.6 percent of its natural gas in May. To control reservoir pressure and increase oil production, a significant portion is reinjected into the ground, Petrobras said.
