11

rio hosts global pipeline industry

2 43 INtErVIEWmarcelo rennó President of the Organizing Committee

As from today, global repre-sentatives of the pipeline sec-tor gather at Sul America Con-ventions Center for the eighth edition of the Rio Pipeline Con-ference & Exposition. The con-ference, which is promoted ev-ery other year by the Brazilian Institute of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (IBP), has attracted special interest due to the op-portunities create in Brazil with

the pre-salt and biofuels pro-duction offloading projects.

The forecast is that the Rio Pipeline gathers about 3 thou-sand professionals from 27 countries. In the exposition, 150 companies and institutions re-lated to the pipeline industry will be represented. The con-ference will receive approxi-mately 1,300 delegates, in addi-

tion to the presentation of 342 technical papers.

“The Rio Pipeline is today a great meeting opportunity for the sector and, therefore, we rely on the insti-tutional support of the main entities of the sector”, points out Marcelo Rennó, president of the event’s Or-ganizing Committee, held with the participation of the American Soci-ety of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

rio pipeline NEWS

english

1st Edition – September, 20th 2011

Exhibition area has grown 10% as compared to last edition

Larger trade show in this edition

pre-salt pipeline offloading is conference topic

22

AGENDA

SEptEmbEr 20th, 2011tUESDAY

> 08:00 / 17:00Registration

> 09:00 / 10:00Welcome Brunch

> 10:00 / 12:00Room B2 - Conference and Opening Ceremony: The Brazilian Energy Matrix - Current Scenario and TrendsSpeaker:> Maurício Tiomno Tolmasquim President - Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE)

> 12:00Rio Pipeline Expo Inauguration

> 12:00 / 14:00Lunch

> 14:00 / 16:00Technical Sessions (Oral)

> 15:30 / 17:30Technical Sessions (Poster)

> 16:15 / 18:00Room B2 - Panel: Pre-Salt Pipeline OffloadingModerator:

> Carlos Tadeu da Costa Fraga Executive Manager Petrobras /Cenpes Speakers:

> Mauro Yuji Hayashi Planning Manager Petrobras/E&P-Presal

> Ricardo Luiz Carneiro Beltrão General Manager Petrobras/CEnPES - PdEP

> Frederic Delormel President Technip Brasil

> Valéria Lima Commercial director BG

The current scenario and the per-spectives of the Brazilian energy matrix will be the opening session topic of the Rio Pipeline Confer-ence & Exposition. The pre-salt production offloading and the technological trends and chal-lenges in the pipeline sector will be the key topics in the eighth edi-tion of the Rio Pipeline. The panel ”Pre-Salt Pipeline Offloading”, which takes place today, from 4.15 pm to 6.00 pm, will be moderated by Petrobras executive manager, Carlos Tadeu da Costa Fraga, and will have speakers from Petrobras, Technip Brasil and BG.

Currently, the pipeline industry has a turnover of USd 50 billion a year worldwide in new invest-ments. According to the IBP, the system is still small in Brazil, mainly when compared to the USA; however, the forecasts are very optimistic, due mainly to the economic moment of the coun-try with the pre-salt discoveries. The expansion of the network in any country depends on a heated business environment.

The Rio Pipeline 2011 technical committee received 513 sum-maries from 27 countries in this edition. The topic design, Con-struction, Assembly and Materi-als, reached a record-breaking

number of summaries, followed by the topic Subsea Pipelines. The technical sessions program offers topics such as Logistics and Op-eration, growth of the slurry and ethanol pipelines in the country - which become more and more strategic for the development of the ore and biofuels sectors - au-tomation, supervisory and mea-surement systems, structural integrity, environment and op-erational safety will be presented separately. Inspection, reliability and risk assessment techniques, corrosion and need for labor qual-ification will also be presented.

Aiming at attracting the key glob-al representatives of the sector to the city, parallel events such as the PRCI meetings and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum will be held (OCIMF).

pre-salt pipeline offloading is conference topic

342 technical papers will be presented

33

INtErVIEW | Marcelo Rennó

”brazil offers quite a few opportunities ”President of the Rio Pipeline Organizing Committee points out the outstanding moment for the pipeline sector in the country.

INtErVIEW ”brazil offers quite a few opportunities ”President of the Rio Pipeline Organizing Committee points out the outstanding moment for the pipeline sector in the country.

How is the pipeline sector in Brazil today?Just like the entire oil & gas sector, the pipeline segment offers good perspectives in Brazil, as a result of the investments forecast for the pre-salt production offloading, as well as the movement of other products, especially the ethanol. We have a scenario where several busi-ness opportunities are offered for the companies interested in invest-ing in Brazil. This accelerated de-mand growth made sector become more strategic, but we must over-come a number of economic, tech-nological and environmental chal-lenges. These are challenges that mobilize the industry worldwide and that is good for Brazil.

What are these challenges?From the economic point of view, a continuous effort is required to foster competitiveness, mainly with research on new manufac-turing and assembly technologies, with a view to reducing the proj-ects’ CAPEX. As for the environ-

mental care, the sector has already promoted several technological im-provements aiming at ensuring the integrity of the facilities, the op-erational reliability and “zero” tol-erance to leaks. Therefore, a great deal of efforts is directed to the development of leaking detection systems, protec-tion and monitor-ing of rights of way, in addition to corrosion control and hillside stabil-ity along the rights of way. The con-cern with the environment and the sustainable development is always present in any strategy of the pipe-line sector.

Isn’t specialized labor another chal-lenge?Certainly. This is a key issue for an efficient and up-front manage-ment for companies that develop business in the country. Brazil has increased the training supply and

capacity, and several educational entities today offer qualification programs in the oil & gas sector that comply with international standards. We already rely on a large, experienced staff working

in the sector, but it is necessary to keep a continued train-ing effort for new professionals.

How is Rio Pipeline contributing to see the sector overcome those challenges?

The event has attracted a grow-ing number of professionals, due to the increasing importance of the pipeline sector, but mainly due to the relevance of the top-ics addressed and the substantial participation of the players in the sector. We are facing an intense agenda and, therefore, we have the opportunity to exchange expe-rience and knowledge, which will attract the main global represen-tatives of the pipeline sector.

THE COnCERn WITH

THE EnVIROnMEnT

And THE SUSTAInA-

BLE dEVELOPMEnT IS

ALWAYS PRESEnT In

AnY STRATEGY OF THE

PIPELInE SECTOR.

44

After the successful 2009 edition, which had 120 exhibitors covering around 2,300m², the Rio Pipeline trade show became even larger two years later. In 2011, the event will have 150 exhibitors, in an area of 2,600m² – more significant figures as compared to 2005. The exhibition will be held on September 20 - 22, from 10.00 am to 07.00 pm, at the SulAmérica Conventions Center.

One of the exhibitors, GdK, prom-ises to display the assembly challenges and solutions of the Caraguatatuba-Taubaté (Gastau) gas pipeline, which is 96km long and overcomes the Serra do Mar through a 5-km long tunnel. The overcoming was one of the great-est challenges of the project, which was made through a tunnel inter-connected to a 500-m high shaft .

The Centro de Tecnologia em dutos (Pipeline Technology Center - CT-dUT) will announce the execution of an agreement with the Pipeline Re-search Council International (PRCI), which provides for the technical and services cooperation, among other opportunities that are still under ne-gotiation. “The PRCI runs projects of key importance for the main global pipeline operators, and this agree-

ment offers the possibility of having these projects to use CTdUT facilities”, explained Arthur Braga, executive manager for the Technology Center.

TBG is another company with news to the trade show. The Transportadora Brasileira de Gasoduto (Brazilian Gas Pipeline Carrier) will make two dem-onstrations at the stand. The com-pany will make a real-time broadcast of the operations in the Bolívia-Brasil (Gasbol) gas pipeline so that visitors may observe how all the process is made remotely, with support from the Oversight & Control Center (CSC).

TBG is responsible for 2,593 kilome-ters (length in the Brazilian territory) of Gasbol, totalizing 3,150 kilometers, counted the Bolivian territory section.

Liderrol, in turn, shows the new pipeline installation technology in confined and difficult-access en-vironments, from the pipeline de-sign, manufacturing and installa-tion. The solution is unique in the world. The company will also use the trade show to make an exclu-sive exhibition of the solution by bi-directional rollers, as well as the revolutionary guide rollers.

Larger trade show in this edition

new technologies stand out at the exhibition

President of the Organizing Committee: Marcelo Rennó | Events Manager: Ana Guedes | Press Secretary and IBP Marketing: Tatiana Campos (email press@ibp.org.br) | Editorial office: FSB Comunicações | Layout and design development: FSB design | Photography: divulgação IBP/Somafoto |Translation: Lídio Rodrigues