Abegás proposes natural gas reforms for Brazil's 2026 elections

The Brazilian Association of Piped Gas Distribution Companies (Abegás) has released a strategic agenda titled ‘Gás Canalizado – Agenda estratégica para promover o desenvolvimento social e econômico no Brasil’ to influence the 2026 presidential and congressional elections.

The document addresses the gap between national gas production and market availability. While Brazil recorded a production of 179 million m³/day in 2025, Abegás reports that only 33% of this volume reached end consumers, with much of the rest being reinjected into reservoirs or consumed on offshore platforms.

Key legislative and regulatory proposals include:

• Implementing caps on gas reinjection to ensure more volume is available for industry and power generation.

• Reforming the transport system expansion model through coordinated public calls rather than requiring prior proof of contracted demand.

• Creating an independent manager for the transport network to coordinate access and capacity.

• Transferring natural gas commercialization in the free market to the Electric Energy Commercialization Chamber (CCEE) to improve transparency.

• Establishing a National Policy for Sustainable Corridors to connect gas stations to major harvest transport routes, aiming to replace diesel in heavy vehicles.

• Ensuring energy security for digital infrastructure, such as large datacenters, by utilizing natural gas as a reliable energy source.