Petrobras aims to produce more oil without incurring significant costs. The plan involves re-powering old, gigantic, already decommissioned maritime platform vessels instead of subjecting them to costly dismantling processes without environmental damage, the president of the Brazilian oil company, Magda Chambriard, announced on Thursday. The executive took advantage of the closing ceremony of the conference of oil companies Rio Oil and Gas (ROG-e), which concluded this Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, to announce the creation of a commission that will study the viability reform projects and modernize already deactivated platforms.
The objective is increase the useful life of these vessels and ensure the viability of deep-water exploitation projectsbecause increasingly larger, more sophisticated and heavier platforms increase production costs, he explained.
According to Chambriard, the first that can be renovated are the P-35, P-37 and P-47 platforms, which have already been deactivated after reaching their useful life or because they are not of the size current platforms, with the ability to extract and store up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day. Another platform that is about to be deactivated and can also be re-engined is the P-19.
The president of the state-controlled company, but whose shares are traded on the stock exchanges of São Paulo, New York and Madrid, also said that, if the project is approved, the modernization will be entrusted to Brazilian shipyards.
“If we manage to reform them, we will do it in the national shipyards. We have shipyards active in several states of Brazil and some are inactive and threatening to lay off their employees. The Brazilian industry can be sure that we will be at his side,” he said.
The miracle of Brazilian oil
Crude oil production in Brazil did not reach one million barrels per day in 1998, while in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) it was well over two million barrels per day. However, in 2024 the situation has reversed. Brazil, thanks to maritime oil platforms, exceeded the oil production of the United Arab Emirates for the first time in its history, which was already on the verge of happening in December 2022 and could happen as early as now. Petrobras’ investments (including these giant, obsolete platforms) to increase crude oil production contrast with the reductions in the United Arab Emirates, which must obey production quotas established by the Organization of Exporting Countries. oil.
According to the estimates of the International Energy AgencyIn December, the UAE produced 2.95 million barrels per day (mbd), compared to more than 3 mbd pumped by Brazil. Over the next few years, Brazilian crude oil production is expected to exceed 3.2 mbd and continue to increase soon.
