a Petrobras, Shell Brazil, Total energies, National Oil Company H Knock The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) has begun a series of offshore wind measurements in the area Pre-saltTo verify technical feasibility Wind installations In the region.
The research is part of the Ventos de Libra project, with an investment of R$8 million, and has been cited by Petrobras as a promising proposal because it aims to evaluate the potential for integration between offshore wind systems and energy production projects. petroleum In the pre-salt zone.
The first data collection is taking place in Campo de Búzios, in the Santos Basin, and will be expanded this year to include Campo de Mero. The goal is to collect unprecedented, high-quality information on the region’s wind behavior to support future offshore wind projects in the pre-salt region.
The Libra Consortium is managed by Petrobras (38.6%) in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA – PPSA (3.5%). Who plays the role of the Libra Consortium’s production sharing contract manager and represents the consortium in the non-contracted area.
According to the state-owned company, the project aims to develop scientific progress in wind modeling, data measurement methodology, model improvement, and reduce uncertainties and risks related to the implementation of floating wind projects in ultra-deep water areas. The results will support the next development phases, which aim to evaluate the implementation of wind turbines linked to oil and gas production systems in the region.
“The technologies used in this multidisciplinary project will be able to evaluate the potential of offshore wind in the pre-salt area and contribute to raising the national technological level,” says Petrobras Exploration and Production Director, Joelson Mendes.
He points out that “offshore wind projects constitute a major scientific and technological challenge, exacerbated by the conditions prevailing in the pre-salinity zone, about 200 kilometers from the coast, and in water depths of up to 2,000 metres.”
Director of Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mauricio Tolmaskem, also says that “projects of this type can indicate potential paths for us to further advance the decarbonisation of our activities, in line with what we have already announced in our strategic plan.”
Evaluation of wind potential
The wind measuring station was installed on the ship’s platform P-75, a type FPSO (floating unit that produces, stores and transports oil), in the Buzios block, in the pre-salt zone of the Santos Basin.
The technology consists of a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) remote sensing measurement system, with equipment also containing other sensors to provide support for studies to improve methods for measuring offshore wind data.
The data will be collected and transmitted directly from the FPSO P-75 to Petrobras’ Research, Development and Innovation Centre, at Cinepece, and will be evaluated over a period of three years. The project plans to install another piece of equipment this year on another pre-salt platform, in Campo de Mero.
“Measurement campaigns are not new for Petrobras. A decade ago, the company began feasibility studies for the implementation of offshore wind activity, with the installation of the first anemometer, capable of measuring wind characteristics, in the Brazilian Sea, in a platform installed in shallow waters off the coast of the state Rio Grande do Norte,” recalls Petrobras’ Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, Carlos Travassos. The first measurements were made in the Meru field in 2019, as a short test, on board the FPSO ship Pioneiro de Libra.
(marks for translation) Petrobras
