Agency attributes increase to standardization of contracts that increased the entry of new agents into the gas market
The (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels) reported, in a report published this Tuesday (May 5, 2026), that natural gas transportation contracts grew 526% in 2025 compared to 2024. The agency states that the number was driven by contractual standardization and the opening of the market. Here is the document (PDF – 8 MB).
3,787 contracts were signed in 2025, including 130 Master Contracts, 3,635 Firm Transport Contracts and 22 Interruptible Transport Contracts. The previous year had only 434 contracts.
According to the ANP, the advance reflects the new regulatory framework for the sector, especially after the regulation that followed the validity of the New Gas Law (). The legislation aimed to encourage the adoption of a standardized contracting model and increase transparency in the rules for access to infrastructure.
According to the report, the growth in the number of contracts in 2025 was accompanied by greater diversity of agents in the transport system. There were 40 different chargers in 2025 – 3 more than in 2024.
The document also states that the expansion of contracts is associated with the entry and exit model, which makes the use of the gas pipeline network more flexible and reduces barriers to contracting.
This environment, according to the regulatory agency, favored competition and contributed to “market deconcentration”.
Gas transportation contracts
Natural gas transportation contracts are instruments signed between shippers (companies that buy or sell gas) and transporters (gas pipeline operators) to guarantee the right to use network capacity. They define conditions such as volume transported, deadline, tariffs and level of service stability — which can be firm, when there is continuous capacity guarantee, or interruptible, when use depends on system availability.
Historically, the sector faced difficulties arising from the lack of contractual standardization and clear rules for access to infrastructure, which limited the entry of new agents and concentrated the market. The standardization and regulation promoted by the ANP sought to reduce these asymmetries, establish hiring criteria and allow non-discriminatory access to gas pipelines.
