Petrobras prepares Gastau tunnelPetrobras has already contracted for a 6 m-diameter tunnelling machine in Germany for the excavation of the underground portion of the 98 km-long Gastau gas pipeline linking the natural gas treatment unit atCaraguatatuba (SP), responsible for receiving future gas volumes from the Santos Basin, with the municipality of Taubaté, on the Sâo Paulo high plain.This is the first time this kind of equipment has been used in Brazil for the construction of a gas pipeline, according to Petrobras' general manager for Natural Gas Planning and Logistics Implementation, MarceloJosé Leite Restum. "The tunneling machine will penetrate 6 km in the Serra do Mar mountain range's base," he said.The tunnel project is being conducted by the Schahin construction company, and two other stretches will be the responsibility of GDK and a consortium made up of Camargo Corrêra and Queiroz Galvâo. The Gastau has received an installation license from the federal environmental regulatory agency Ibama, and required the approval of the government of the state of Sâo Paulo. The project is budgeted at about R$ 1 billion (US$ 434 million), of which R$ 200 million (US$ 86 million) will be spent on building the tunnel.The underground stretch is of critical importance, said Restum, and will be ready in October, 2010. Because the gas from the Mexilhâo field will become available to be sent to Sâo Paulo by around April, 2010, Petrobras is preparing a provisional system that can anticipate supply of 5 million cu m/day. Visit http://www.energiahoje.com/globalenergy/2008/10/15/368060/petrobras-prepares-gastau-tunnel.html. 02/10.Submitted by Quirin Poltinger, PPS GmbH, Büro München, tel: (+49) 89 127 66 14-40, fax: -420, mobile: (+49) 170 381 78 54, website www.pps-muc.de