Petrobras managed to reduce by about 50% the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions per barrel of oil produced in the period from 2009 to 2021 - as an effect of the application of innovative low-carbon technologies. To intensify this trend, in addition to the solutions already incorporated into the new offshore unit projects, the company is developing a new model of electrified platforms - known as All Electric - equipped to use less fuel for power generation on board the unit. The new system reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% compared to a traditional platform. The company is also testing an unprecedented technology - the so-called HISEP® - that will reduce emissions in pre-salt fields, increasing their efficiency.

These were some of the highlights of the speeches given by Petrobras directors João Henrique Rittershaussen (Production Development) and Rafael Chaves (Institutional Relations and Sustainability) on May 3 at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2022, the main congress of the world's offshore oil and gas industry, in Houston (USA). Both reinforced Petrobras' commitment to the global transition to a low-carbon economy - with emphasis on the results obtained so far, the application of technologies to reduce emissions, and future projects in this segment.

Projects with environmental and economic resilience

In the "Shifting to a low carbon offshore industry" panel, which was moderated by the company's executive manager for Climate Change, Viviana Coelho, director Rittershaussen highlighted the pillars of Petrobras' low carbon strategy. "We prioritize projects with double resilience, economic and environmental, seeking a low-cost, low-carbon operation to maintain our competitiveness. This pillar is the current basis of our business", he explained.

The director also presented a set of solutions already incorporated into the new platform projects that contribute to the reduction of emissions, besides emphasizing the development of a new generation of platforms: "The use of the all electric concept will bring greater operational efficiency, besides simplifying the configuration of the platform and reducing emissions. Our expectation is to develop a new generation of maritime units with more sustainable production. The decarbonization trajectory involves working with challenging solutions, both from an economic and technological point of view," said Rittershaussen (photo below).

Another highlight was the expressive results of the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) program for pre-salt fields. "A pioneer in ultra-deep waters, the program became the largest in the world in reinjected volume in 2020. In 2021, 8.7 million tons of CO2 were reinjected," he concluded.

New technology to reduce emissions 

Director Chaves participated in the panel "Accelerating the Energy Transition: Highlighting Developments in Brazil and Argentina", in which he highlighted the relevance of low carbon oil and gas to reduce emissions, in the Brazilian context of high presence of renewables in the energy matrix.

"We are currently working on the development of new CO2 capture solutions, and the technology known as HISEP® is a case in point: with it, the CO2-rich gas that comes out of the reservoir is separated from the oil and part of it is reinjected through a system installed on the seabed. In this way, we avoid this gas being processed on board the platform, reducing CO2 emissions," he said. "This innovation is our patent and represents an important step forward in low-carbon technology," he added.

The director also emphasized Petrobras' ambition to achieve emission neutrality in the activities under its control, in a timeframe compatible with that established by the Paris Agreement. "We remain committed to the transition to a global low-carbon economy as an ethical and competitiveness imperative. Advancing decarbonization requires identifying the lowest cost options for society and seeking to make energy more accessible - a fundamental element for competitiveness and social welfare," he concluded.