Senator Alexandre Silveira (PSD-MG), 52, took office this Monday (2) as Minister of Mines and Energy in the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and cited expanding refineries as one of his priorities.
With regard to fuel prices, Silveira stated that it is necessary to “implement a market design that promotes competition, but protects consumers from fuel price volatility”.
“It is very difficult to explain to the Brazilian people that we are a paradise for biofuels and that we have the richness of the pre-salt layer, but that they will inevitably be at the mercy of international commodity prices,” he said.
“Although we are, much thanks to Petrobras, the largest oil producer in Latin America, our deficit refining capacity makes us hostages to the importation of oil products and natural gas, leaving the national market exposed to constant and abrupt international price fluctuations We are doing something wrong”, he added.
The possibility of government intervention in Petrobras’ pricing policy is one of the main fears of the market in light of the new management of Planalto.
This Sunday (1st), after taking office, Lula signed the MP (provisional measure) that extends the exemption of fuels in the country, a measure created by Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the midst of the increase in oil prices and which had as deadline 31 December 2022. The decision was taken to avoid a significant increase in gas stations right at the beginning of the new Chief Executive’s term.
The decision, added to the new president’s speech and the withdrawal of state-owned companies from the privatization program, led the stock market to fall 3% this Monday. In the foreign exchange market, the spot commercial dollar closed the session up 1.47% against the real, quoted at R$5.3570.
Silveira also announced the creation of an Energy Transition Secretariat. He defended that the country is a world leader in clean energy.
Following Lula’s line, Silveira declared that he will “exterminate electrical misery” and that he will conclude the Luz para Todos program.
In a moment of emotion and applause from the audience, the new minister said that the tragedies of Mariana and Brumadinho, in Minas Gerais, will not be forgotten and promised to “invest resources and reinforcements in the fierce inspection of dams”. “My deepest solidarity with those affected,” he added.
Another priority of the portfolio, according to the minister, will be to expand and expand the refineries, something he defined as urgent.
In his speech, the minister highlighted environmental and social concerns. According to him, resources need to be “exploited in a timely, sustainable and rational way”.
With regard to the creation of the Energy Transition Secretariat, Silveira defended low-carbon energy and said that it is necessary to place the “Brazilian energy matrix at the forefront of sustainability in the world”.
The minister declared that natural gas and biofuels should be better used.
Gilberto Kassab’s PSD, the party that Lula attracted to the government base, appointed three ministers —Silveira, André de Paula (PE) in Fisheries and Carlos Fávaro (MT) in Agriculture.
Fávaro also commented on the issue of fuels this Monday after the negative reaction of the ethanol industry to the provisional measure that extends the exemption of PIS/Cofins. The Minister of Agriculture recognized that the MP affects the sector, and said that the exemption done in a thoughtless way generates imbalances.
“The ethanol chain is completely compromised because it equaled fossil fuel, gasoline in taxes. This cannot happen. But it cannot also penalize the citizen, who can no longer bear the high price of fuels”, he told the press after the ceremony. ownership.
“That’s why this measure now, giving a slightly longer period for us to study new measures for the formation of fuel prices and, with that, keep the price as low as possible, reduced, but also not leave it unencumbered. Because this is causing a great deal of impact on Brazilian ethanol production.”
Silveira was a federal deputy, general director of DNIT and secretary of the Metropolitan Management and Health portfolios in Minas Gerais. He is an ally of the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) and of the former governor of Minas Gerais and minister of the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) Antonio Anastasia.
As the Panel showed, PT’s supporters welcomed Silveira’s nomination since, in the election, he made an effort to block the turnaround of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in Minas Gerais, where the difference was only 49.6 thousand votes.
The ministry’s auditorium was filled to capacity, and many guests watched the ceremony standing up. Deputies and mayors were present, in addition to the nominee to preside over Petrobras, Senator Jean Paul Prates (PT-RN), and former Minister of Mines and Energy Bento Albuquerque, who served in the Bolsonaro government.
On stage, the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Carneiro (União), Senator Otto Alencar (PSD-BA) and the Deputy Governor of Minas Gerais, Matheus Simões (Novo) took part in the ceremony.
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