TN PETRÓLEO

Petrobras and American outfit Baker Hughes, an oil & gas industry equipment, service, and software provider, signed a cooperation agreement today (07/01) for well, reservoir, and oil lifting and offloading technology research and development focused on projects designed for the Brazilian pre-salt layer. The project portfolio the agreement outlines will result in the deployment, in 2010, of the Rio Technology Center (RTC), slated to be installed in the UFRJ’s Technological Park, at Ilha do Fundão.


The agreement the companies signed is an important step in Brazil’s consolidation as a technology producer. Baker has already been operating in the Brazilian market for some 40 years and will now leverage its investments in the technology development area in the country, focusing on Petrobras’ demands. The document was signed by Petrobras’ Exploration & Production director, Guilherme Estrella, and by Baker Hughes Operations director, Martin Craighead.


The Technology Center will perform as a technology development and application pole and operate in reservoir characterization, drilling optimization, well completion, and production. According to Baker’s vice-president for Brazil, the focus will be on deepwater well construction and assessment cost reductions and on production and reservoir recovery factor optimization, with the gradual evolution of knowledge regarding the pre-salt accumulations.


Petrobras is expected to invest R$32 million and Baker Hughes R$56 million in the project in the next four years. The initiative also calls for the involvement of several universities, such as Unicamp (Campinas), PUC (Rio), UFRJ (Rio), and Uenf (Macaé), which will work in partnership with the two companies.


Petrobras’ Exploration & Production Director, Guilherme Estrella: “Baker is an old Petrobras partner, and through the years it has been improving its technological apparatus on an ongoing basis seeking to overcome the new challenges that appear. In the future, we will realize this was a historical day, since it marked the beginning of a new partnership between Petrobras and Baker.”


The signature of this memorandum is “a very important milestone in the relationship with Petrobras, which will leverage investments in Brazil and transfer technology, ensuring knowledge is maintained in the country,” said Maurício Figueiredo, who also said the agreement will result in the hiring of scientists, both in Brazil and abroad, and will contribute to growing local content in Baker Hughes’ products and services. The agreement will also prioritize the development of the company’s technologies to meet specific Petrobras needs.