Brazilian President to Meet Bolivian Counterpart Over Gas Supply

Brazilian president to meet Bolivian counterpart over gas supply

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday that he will meet his Boliviancounterpart in December to discuss natural gas imports amid tight energy supplies in Brazil.

Lula stressed that his country is not at risk of an energy blackout, as the government decided last week that natural gas imports from Bolivia must go first to thermoelectric power plants.

Retailers and consumers have feared a supply crisis. Natural gas has also been used as fuel for vehicles in Brazil.

The president admitted that the consumption of natural gas in Brazil had been stimulated by the construction of the Bolivia- Brazil natural gas pipeline.

Jose Sergio Gabrielli, head of Brazil’s state-owned oil and gasfirm, on Monday left for Bolivia for talks with its energy minister Carlos Villegas Quiroga.

“We all know that Petrobras has to make an investment so that we can assure that Bolivia will have more gas to export not only to Brazil, but also to Argentina,” Lula said.

According to Lula, Brazil was also discussing the construction of another natural gas pipeline with Venezuela. “We are doing whatneeds to be done in order to assure that Brazil has energy easiness for a long time in the future,” he said.

In May 2006, Evo Morales’ government nationalized Bolivia’s oiland gas reserves, which included production units operated by Petrobras. The measure affected its relations with Brazil, and theBrazilian company suspended its investment in Bolivia.

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