Companies from Atlantic Canada hit the ground running this week at Rio Oil & Gas 2012.

9/20/2012

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 20, 2012] The mission began with a Briefing Session and Canadian Delegate Dinner hosted by the Consul General, Sanjeev Chowdhury, who warmly welcomed the entire Canadian Delegation – the largest to the Rio Oil and Gas show to date – with Atlantic Canada making up the lion’s share of this delegation. The mission to Rio de Janeiro is led by The Maritimes Energy Association.

Some of the week’s activities included a visit on day one with Brazilian oil giant Petrobras at their RandD facility, CENPES, located in Rio de Janeiro. Petrobras outlined their future vision in the areas of production optimization, pre-salt production including subsea systems and new frontiers. With the challenges they are facing, they are both welcoming and open to partnerships and joint ventures with Canadian companies that can help them achieve this vision.

On day two, Atlantic Canadians were invited to participate in a Brazil Market update workshop hosted by the Consulate and EDC, where various university and industry associations and another energy giant Schahin again outlined the huge challenges the Brazil Oil and Gas industry faces and the need to look to other countries for their expertise and skill.

That evening a Canadian reception was held at the residence of Consul General Sanjeev Chowdhury, where over 50 Brazilian top oil and gas executives showed up to network with Atlantic Canadian delegates and discuss potential opportunities and synergies.

Day three was again busy with a morning session and business meetings with Petrobras followed by a very active day at the Atlantic Canada booth at Rio Oil and Gas, the highlight being the signing of an MOU between Newfoundland and Labradors OceansAdvance and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul(FURG).

The Atlantic Canada booth at Rio Oil and Gas has been a hub of activity since the first day of the conference with pre-scheduled meetings with executives from the Brazilian industry and high visitor traffic.

It is clear that Atlantic Canadian companies are set to develop strong and very successful business relationships in this enormous energy industry in the region.