Energy ministry to ask Petrobras to postpone stoppage at Mexilhão platform

Brazil's energy minister Wellington Moreira Franco was due to meet Petrobras CEO Ivan Monteiro on Monday evening to ask him to to reschedule a maintenance stoppage at a platform in the Mexilhão field, located in the offshore Santos basin.

The stoppage will affect Brazil's gas supply logistics, which could in turn affect power generation at several thermoelectric plants. According to the minister, the country is going through a critical period for power generation due to the lack of rain and therefore water for its hydro plants and it would therefore be better to carry out the stoppage at another time.

"I will see if it is possible for Petrobras to postpone [the stoppage] for one or two months to guarantee that the rain situation is better," the minister told journalists during an event at industry association Firjan in Rio de Janeiro.

Petrobras announced various measures to adapt the country's gas supplies during the 45-day stoppage, such as increasing the regasification capacity of its Bahia terminal, as well as using another regasification vessel in Rio de Janeiro, in addition to reducing gas supply to thermoelectric power plants that will undergo maintenance stoppages during the period.