Oil & Gas Majors Eye Brazil’s Pre-Salt Region for Floating Wind

Floating Wind

January 16, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Brazilian oil and gas major Petrobras – together with partners Shell Brasil, TotalEnergies, China’s CNPC and CNOOC, and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) – has kicked off a series of wind measurements in Brazil’s pre-salt region to collect data for potential offshore wind projects in Búzios and Mero fields.

Initial data collection will begin in the Búzios field in the Santos Basin, and later this year, more data will be collected, but in the Mero field, Petrobras said.

The study is part of the Ventos de Libra project, an investment of BRL 8 million (about EUR 1.5 million) that aims to develop scientific advancements in wind modelling, data measurement methodology, model enhancement, and the reduction of uncertainties and risks for the implementation of floating wind projects in ultra-deepwater regions, according to Petrobras.

The wind measurement station was installed on the floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel P-75, located in the Búzios block in the pre-salt region of the Santos Basin.

The technology consists of a remote sensing measurement system using LiDAR as well as other sensors for studies aimed at improving offshore wind data measurement methods.

The data will be collected and transmitted directly from the FPSO P-75 to the Petrobras Research, Development, and Innovation Center (Cenpes) and will be assessed over a period of three years.

Joelson Mendes, Petrobras’ Director of Exploration and Production says that “offshore wind projects constitute a significant scientific and technological challenge, heightened by the conditions in the pre-salt region, approximately 200 km off the coast, at water depths of up to 2,000 meters.”

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The Libra Consortium is operated by Petrobras (38.6 per cent) in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3 per cent), TotalEnergies (19.3 per cent), CNPC (9.65 per cent), CNOOC (9.65 per cent), and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. – PPSA (3.5 per cent), who manages the Production Sharing Agreement in the Libra Consortium and represents the Union in the non-contracted area.

According to Petrobras, the company currently has the greatest potential in offshore wind projects in the country, as its capacity has been endorsed by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA).

In addition, the firm invests in research and development with an eye on innovative offshore wind projects. One of the promising proposals is Ventos de Libra, whose goal is to assess the potential integration between offshore wind systems and oil production projects in the pre-salt region, Petrobras said.