Lula-Mexilhao Gas Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy.

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The Lula-Mexilhão Gas Pipeline is a key component of the Route 1 Gas Pipeline off the Atlantic coast of southeastern Brazil.

Location

The pipeline runs from the Lula oil and natural gas field off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state to the Mexilhão platform off the coast of São Paulo state.

Project Details

• Operator: Petrobras
• Parent Company: Petrobras
• Current capacity: 3.65 billion cubic meters per year
• Proposed capacity:
• Length: 134 miles / 216 km
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 2011

Background

In September 2011, Petrobras announced completion of the Lula-Mexilhão pipeline, a 216-kilometer pipeline designed to transfer natural gas from the Lula field, 250km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, to the Mexilhão platform, a fixed gas production platform 160km off the coast of São Paulo state. The Lula field, which produces significant amounts of oil and natural gas, is located in the Santos basin, in a geological formation known as the 'pre-salt' layer, below 2126m (6975ft) of water and 2791m (9156ft) of soil, rock and salt. The pipeline is connected to other Petrobras gas processing facilities, including the Monteiro Lobato Gas Treatment Unit at Caraguatatuba, São Paulo state, allowing gas to be brought onshore from Mexilhão and made available to Brazil's domestic natural gas distribution network.

Technical description

The pipeline, operated by Petrobras, is 216 km (134 mi) long and 18 inches in diameter, with the capacity to carry 10 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, or 3.65 billion cubic meters per year.