The Ministry of Development and Abrace are driving the debate over ANP’s gas release program, proposing industrial priority and adjustments to boost competitiveness in the natural gas market.
The landscape for natural gas commercialization in the country has taken on new contours following strategic statements from MDIC and Abrace Energia. The entities submitted relevant contributions to the public consultation conducted by ANP regarding the draft of the market concentration reduction program, known as the gas release.
The core discussion revolves around how to direct the offered volumes to strengthen the national production chain. The intention is to steer these inputs away from thermoelectric use, directing the supply to the industrial sector and stimulating competition in a historically centralized market.
Priority for Basic Industry
The proposal submitted by MDIC to ANP advocates that the available natural gas be delivered on a priority basis to free consumers in the basic industry. Although it did not detail specific sectors in the petition, the ministry aligned its vision with the guidelines of CNPE, which value the input as an essential raw material for segments such as steelmaking, chemicals, and fertilizers.
Following this suggested hierarchy would be other free industrial consumers and, finally, other non-thermoelectric buyer categories. For the government, ensuring that the input reaches manufacturing processes directly is essential to driving the competitiveness of national industry.
The Debate Over Braskem’s Participation
Another crucial point of discussion involves the eligibility of buying companies, a topic addressed by Abrace Energia. The association agreed with the restriction on the thermoelectric sector, but requested flexibility in the rules that prevent access by companies affiliated with the dominant agent—currently only Petrobras.
Leonardo Jardim stated:
Any eligibility restrictions should fall exclusively on companies directly controlled by Petrobras, or over which it exercises effective decision-making power or relevant strategic influence. Extending this prohibition to merely affiliated companies, without governance powers or commercial coordination, could result in the undue exclusion of independent agents, reducing the liquidity and competitive effectiveness of the program, the entity argues.
If the consideration is accepted by ANP, the measure will pave the way for Braskem to participate in the auctions. The state-run oil company holds a significant equity stake in the petrochemical firm, but the flexibility would avoid an automatic veto resulting from indirect corporate ties.
Discussions are also progressing regarding the destination of volumes that might end up unsold in the auctions. While MDIC warns that the automatic return of the surplus to Petrobras reduces the policy’s effectiveness, Abrace suggests shorter deadlines for resale and greater freedom in the secondary market to consolidate a more dynamic and decentralized business environment.
