Route 5 Gas Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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The Route 5 Gas Pipeline , also known as the Gasoduto Rota 5 or Gasoduto do Bloco BM-C-33, is a proposed natural gas pipeline off the Atlantic coast of southeastern Brazil.

Location

The proposed pipeline would run from the Pão de Açúcar Oil and Gas field (also known as Block B-MC-33) in the Campos basin to the Macaé Port Terminal (TEPOR) in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

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Project Details

• Operator: Petrobras
• Owner: Equinor, Petrobras, Repsol Sinopec
• Proposed capacity: 12 million to 16 million cubic meters per day
• Length: 200 km
• Status: Proposed
• Start Year: 2028

Background

In May 2019 Brazil's Secretary of Oil and Gas of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Márcio Félix, stated that Petrobras was considering building three new gas pipeline networks, known as Routes 4, 5 and 6. The Route 5 pipeline would bring natural gas from the pre-salt fields off Brazil's southeastern coast to a location to be determined in Rio de Janeiro state.

EPE, the Brazilian government's energy research agency, proposed three separate alternatives for the Route 5 pipeline, known as Route 5a, Route 5b, and Route 5c. The Route 5b alternative envisioned the construction of a 200-kilometer, 16-inch pipeline with a capacity of 12 million cubic meters per day, which would terminate at a new natural gas processing unit in the Port Terminal of Macaé (TEPOR). Estimated cost for the pipeline's development was R$ 3.4 billion (3.4 billion Brazilian reais), with plans calling for the pipeline to potentially supply several new proposed gas plants in the Macaé area.

In April 2022, the Vale Azul Group obtained an installation license for its proposed 60 million m³ per day natural gas processing unit at Macaé port, likely enhancing licensing prospects for the associated Route 5b gas pipeline.

A fossil gas infrastructure expansion study released in December 2022 by the Brazilian government listed the Route 5 project (under the name Gasoduto do Bloco BM-C-33) as one of six high priority pipelines to be developed during the 2022-2032 period.

In May 2023, Equinor announced that it would be developing offshore oil and gas block BM-C-33 in the Campos Basin. The project, to be shared with Petrobras and Repsol Sinopec, would produce 14 to 16 million cubic meters per day of fossil gas, to be transported to the Cabiúnas Terminal at Macaé port via a new pipeline, now known simply as Route 5. Development of the US $9 billion project, which could potentially create 50,000 jobs over a five-year period and supply 15% of Brazil's national demand for fossil gas, was seen as consolidating Macaé's status as one of Brazil's most important gas hubs.

Various sources have reported a 2028 start date for gas production at the B-MC-33 block, implying that the Route 5 pipeline would begin commercial operations around the same time.

Alternate routes 5a and 5c

The two alternative routes for the pipeline, known as 5a and 5c, would have brought gas onshore at the ports of Açu and Itaguaí, respectively. However, both appear to have been shelved, given the lack of significant news about them since they were originally proposed in November 2019, and the steadily improving prospects for development of route 5b.

The Route 5a alternative called for the construction of a 199-kilometer, 16-inch pipeline with a capacity of 12 million cubic meters per day, which would have terminated at the Port of Açu. Estimated cost for the pipeline's development was R$ 3.4 billion (3.4 billion Brazilian reais). The pipeline would potentially have supplied several new gas plants proposed in the area.

The Route 5c alternative called for the construction of a 421-kilometer, 18-inch pipeline with a capacity of 12 million cubic meters per day, which would have terminated at a new natural gas processing unit in the Port of Itaguaí. Estimated cost for the pipeline's development was R$ 5.2 billion (5.2 billion Brazilian reais).