Rio, July 2, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Petrobras is doing a technical and economic assessment of the construction of a new gas pipeline to connect the Southeast and Northeast networks. The connection would entail 1,200 kilometers, making it possible for Bolivian gas reserves and new Petrobras discoveries in the Santos Basin, which are still in the evaluation phase, to be linked to the Northeast market.

According to the Petrobras press office, studies are also underway to expand the routes of virtual piplines, to transport compressed natural gas (CNG) to consumers within a radius of approximately 200 kilometers from urban centers. In addition, negotiations continue with the state governments of Amazonas and Rondônia to build the Urucu-Porto Velho (550 kilometers) and Coari-Manaus (420 kilometers) pipelines, enabling the use of the Urucu fields and the introduction of natural gas as an alternative for the industrial sector and as an energy source in the Amazon region. (DAS)