Questões de Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms para Concurso
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applied an impressive array of innovative technologies to
improve productivity and efficiency, while yielding
environmental benefits. According to the U.S. Department
of Energy, "the petroleum business has transformed itself
into a high-technology industry."
State-of-the-art technology allows the industry to
produce more oil and natural gas from more remote
places - some previously unreachable - with significantly
less adverse effect on the environment. Among the
benefits: increased supply to meet the world's growing
energy demand, reduced energy consumption at oil and
natural gas facilities and refineries, reduced noise from
operations, decreased size of facilities, reduced
emissions of pollutants, better protection of water
resources, and preservation of habitats and wildlife.
With advanced exploration and production
technologies, the oil and gas industry can pinpoint
resources more accurately, extract them more efficiently
and with less surface disturbance, minimize associated
wastes, and, ultimately, restore sites to original or better
condition.
Exploration and production advances include
advanced directional drilling, slimhole drilling, and 3-D
seismic technology. Other segments of the industry have
benefited from technological advances as well. Refineries
are becoming highly automated with integrated process
and energy system controls; this results in improved
operational and environmental performance and enables
refineries to run harder and produce more products safer
than ever before. Also, new process equipment and
catalyst technology advances have been made very
recently to meet new fuel regulations requiring very low
levels of sulfur in gasoline and diesel.
Technology advances such as these are making it
possible for the oil and natural gas industry to grow in
tandem with the nation's energy needs while maintaining
a cleaner environment. The industry is committed to
investing in advanced technologies that will continue to
provide affordable and reliable energy to support our
current quality of life, and expand our economic horizons.
For example, we are researching fuel cells that may
power the vehicles of tomorrow with greater efficiency
and less environmental impact. We are investigating ways
to tap the huge natural gas resources locked in gas
hydrates. Gas hydrates are common in sediments in
the ocean's deep waters where cold temperatures and
high pressures cause natural gas and water to freeze
together, forming solid gas hydrates. Gas hydrates could
be an important future source of natural gas for our nation.
Some of our companies are also investigating
renewable energy resources such as solar, wind,
biomass and geothermal energy. By conducting research
into overcoming the many technological hurdles that limit
these energy resources, they hope to make them more
reliable, affordable and convenient for future use. Although
the potential for these energy resources is great,
scientists do not expect them to be a significant part of
the nation's energy mix for many decades. For this
reason, the industry must continue to invest in
conventional resources such as oil and natural gas. We
will need to rely on these important energy resources for
many decades to come.
Reducing the dependence on oil
Ildo Sauer, Gas and Energy Director, Petrobras.
Brazil's energy sector is following the worldwide
tendency towards greater diversification of primary energy
sources and the increased use of natural gas and
biofuels. There are several reasons for this change. The
most important are the environmental restrictions that
are gradually being adopted in the world's principal
energy-consuming markets and the need to reduce the
dependence on oil, set against a scenario of accelerated
depletion in oil reserves and escalating prices.
The share of gas in Brazilian primary energy
consumption has more than doubled in a short period,
increasing from 4.1% in 1999 to 8.9% in 2004, and this
share is forecast to rise to 12% by 2010.
Over the past two decades, the world gas industry
has experienced a structural and regulatory
transformation. These changes have altered the strategic
behaviour of gas firms, with an intensification of
competition, the search for diversification (especially in
the case of power generation) and the internationalisation
of industry activities. Together, these changes have
radically changed the economic environment and the level
of competition in the industry.
Brazil's gas industry is characterised by its late
development, although in recent years, internal supply
imports and demand have grown significantly - the
growth trajectory of recent years exceeds that of countries
with more mature markets, such as Spain, Argentina,
the UK and the US. And the outlook is positive for
continued growth over the next few years, particularly
when set against the investment plans already
announced in Brazil.
The country has a small transportation network
concentrated near the coast. The distribution network is
concentrated in the major consumption centres.
Domestic gas sources are largely offshore in the Campos
basin and Bolivia provides imports. Given the degree
of gas penetration in the country's primary energy
consumption, the industry is poorly developed when
compared with other countries. The industry requires
heavy investment in expanding the transport and
distribution (T&D) networks, as well as in diversifying and
increasing its supplies. Such investments are necessary
for realising the industry's enormous potential.
Another key industry highlight is the changing profile
of gas supply. A large part of the gas produced
domestically to date has been associated with oil
production. The latter diluting or even totally absorbing
the costs of exploiting the gas. In most cases, gas
production was feasible only in conjunction with oil
production activities. However, the country's latest gas
finds are non-associated. Thus, an exclusively dedicated
structure must be developed to produce this gas -
translating into a significant rise in production costs. This
is more significant when analysed against the high costs
associated with the market for exploration and production
(E&P) sector equipment. In recent years, the leasing costs
of drilling rigs and E&P equipment have been climbing in
parallel with escalating oil prices. This directly affects endconsumer
prices.
In a world of primary energy consumption
diversification, of greater environmental restrictions and
the reduced dependence on oil, Brazil has been seeking
to develop alternative energy sources - principally natural
gas and biofuels. The gas industry holds enormous
potential for Brazil, although there is still a long way to go
before it reaches maturity and major investment is
required.
p.29-31 (adapted)
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