Nielmar de Oliveira
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio – Brazil's proven reserves of natural gas are 316 billion cubic meters, but it is estimated that total reserves could be more than 65 billion cubic meters. That means that the country's needs would be safe for the next 20 to 30 years.

According to Brazil's state-run Petrobras, the estimated reserves are in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Amazonas, plus recent discoveries offshore along the coasts of the states of São Paulo (Santos basin) and Espirito Santo.

At the moment only 7.5% of the country's fuel needs are supplied by natural gas. Petrobras says the goal is to raise the use of natural gas to 15% by 2015, when it is possible that domestic production will reach over 100 million cubic meters per day, triple what it is now.

Petrobras says that as the demand for natural gas increases in Brazil, the country will seek partnerships, especially in South America, to guarantee future supply.

Translation: Allen Bennett