Volume reached 95.5 million m³/day; Practice presses prices and reduces fuel supply in the market
Brazil reinjected 95.5 million m³/day (cubic meters per day) of natural gas to reservoirs in May. The volume corresponds to 55.5% of total production in the period, which was 172.3 million m³/day. The data are included in the monthly bulletin of (National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), published this Thursday (1st.Jul.2025). This is a (PDF – 3 MB).
Data from the agency point out that the practice intensified from 2015, with the beginning of the operation of the major pre-salt platforms. In Brazil, about 85% of the natural gas produced is associated type, ie extracted from oil. To enable oil production, companies also need to remove gas, which forces them to decide between market this input or reinject it.
In practice, the return of gas to the reservoir is used as a strategy to increase oil production. The process raises the pressure on the deposits, facilitating oil extraction. Because oil has higher market value, reinjection is often more advantageous from an economic point of view for operators.
Countries with a profile similar to that of Brazil – a predominance of associated gas also adopt reinjection as a common practice. However, rates range from 20% to 35%, below the percentage of more than 50% registered in Brazil.
High prices
However, the practice reduces the availability of fuel in the domestic market, a factor that raises prices for Brazilian industry.
Critic of the high reinjection rate, the Minister of Mines and Energy, (PSD), returned to the prices of natural gas in Brazil during an event held on June 16.
“The price of natural gas in Brazil is absurd and harms our intensive energy industry”he said during the event “Gas to Employ”, promoted by FIESP (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo).
Silveira defended the increase in internal offer by Petrobras as a way to reduce prices. “There is no justification for this. It is important that Petrobras is aware of the importance of expanding the gas supply,” he said. However, he denied that there is an intervention in the company and said that if there were, “it would not remain as valued as it is”he declared.
Projects in progress
The minister highlighted investments in progress that can contribute to increase the availability of the product. He cited a new project by Norwegian oil company Equinor, which should add 18 million m³ per day to the national system, and mentioned the possibility of expanding Argentina’s gas gas, the formation of cow Muerta.
Silveira also recalled that Petrobras recently completed Route 3, pipeline that flows pre-salt production to the Brazilian coast. However, the minister stated that, despite the infrastructure advance, the cost of gas that reaches the Brazilian coast is still high when compared to international markets.
