Info: OTC Brazil 2025 Call for Papers
Date: starting on 05/11/2024
Information on the agenda and registration here.

This year’s edition of OTC Brasil hosted 21,000 attendees from October 24 to 26, a 40% increase from the previous edition held in 2019. Overall, the conference brought together people from 69 countries, 114 speakers and more than 180 exhibitors over the three days of the event.

Brazil in the forefront of the energy transition

The final day of the event reinforced the market’s view of Brazil’s leading role in the energy transition process. In the closing panel, moderated by Roberto Ardenghy, president of IBP, the Chairman of OTC Brazil, Juliano de Carvalho Dantas highlighted the country’s ability to contribute to the global transition. “We have many ways to help with the diversity of sources. But we also have many challenges, such as integrating the different energy grids”.

Wafik Beydoun, Americas Director at the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, said that Brazil is ready to lead the transition process. “Brazil is certainly more than ready for the energy transition due to its high renewable energy content.”

José Firmo, CEO of the Port of Açu, said that the current challenge lies in enabling a low-carbon business integration model aligned with competitive costs. “We also need to create ecosystems to use these renewable energies as a vehicle for industrializing the economy”.

The director of engineering, technology and innovation at Petrobras, Carlos Travassos, believes that the energy transition is made possible by investments in infrastructure, education, the creation of regulatory frameworks and innovation.

Angelica Ruiz, Head of Country at bp Brazil, highlighted Brazil in the energy transition for the company. “We see Brazil as a mix of opportunities for bp. The oil in the country has low carbon intensity, renewable energies”.

Brazil, Guyana and Mozambique emerge as energy giants by 2035

“Who would have thought that Mozambique, Guyana, and Brazil would be offshore giants nowadays? Guyana is a case in point. In the last five years, production has skyrocketed to 400,000 barrels/day,” said Nelson Narciso, President of NNF Energy Consultoria, who took part in the panel “Emerging Offshore Giants to Meet Energy Global Demand”.

In the 2022 Top 15 offshore producers list, Brazil is in second place. Guyana, which appears in 17th place on the list, will jump to 4th place in 2035, according to the consultancy firm Rystad Energy. By 2050, the world will have an additional demand for oil and gas, but the window for exploration is starting to close, due to the urgency of the energy transition and the search for more sustainable and cleaner energy sources. “Brazil holds a privileged position as it has a more diversified and competitive energy mix, with lower carbon emissions in industry,” said Daniel Lepper, Head of Global Research at consultancy Rystad Energy.

Regulatory environment needed to stimulate production

Currently ranked as the 9th largest oil producer in the world, Brazil has the potential to reach the 5th place in the global ranking in the next ten years. To achieve this, it is necessary to create a regulatory environment that meets the sector’s distinct needs and stimulates the attraction of new investments, said the CEO of Enauta, Décio Oddone.

“If we want to increase reserves and keep producing, we have to face up to the challenges that lie ahead so that exploration increases and other areas can be tapped. We need a set of measures to help create a favorable business environment and attract investment,” said the executive.

The role of ANP

In a panel celebrating its 25th anniversary, Brazil’s National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) debated the investment clause for research and development in oil and gas exploration and production contracts. All the participants in the debate stressed that the clause has guaranteed the development of new technologies that go beyond exploration and production. “We are focusing on investments that also include renewable energy, green hydrogen and decarbonization. By 2022, more than US$ 1 billion were invested in research and development,” said Daniel Maia, Director of the ANP.

The ANP also held the XI Operational Safety and Environment Workshop (SOMA), which presented the operational safety performance analysis of oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) activities, according to the 2022 Annual Operational Safety Report.

A regulatory framework for the CCUS is crucial

The panel “CCUS and Initiatives to Achieve Net Zero” addressed the importance of the activity’s regulatory framework to prepare the Oil and Gas sector for Net Zero. “In an optimistic estimate, the revenue potential for Brazil with CCUS is U$ 20 billion per year. In order to develop this market and have these investments, it is essential to have the regulatory framework,” said Nathália Weber, co-founder of CCS Brazil.

The impacts of the energy transition in the offshore sector up to 2050 are still uncertain

The scale of the impacts on the energy industry by 2050 is still unknown, despite so much talk about the energy transition. “However, there is one certainty: solar and wind energy will play a more significant role in the future, as the electrification of final energy consumption increases,” said Clarissa Lins, founding partner of Catavento consultancy, on the panel “Global Energy Scenarios: Impacts for the Offshore Industry”.  According to Lins, by 2023 alone, investments in renewable energy in the world should total US$ 1.8 trillion, comprising US$ 770 billion in emerging countries, of which three quarters are being made in three countries – China, Brazil, and India.

Rafaela Guedes, Senior Fellow at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), said that renewable sources will grow in all scenarios, exceeding primary demand by 70%, which will jump from 268Mtoe to 400 MToe.

iUP Inovathon

The final round of the iUP Inovathon, a student competition promoted by the IBP hub with a focus on innovation in the energy industry, awarded R$15,000 to the ZeroNova team, which created the fix2zero solution, a hybrid green methanol plant that utilizes CO2 from the biomass industry to produce methanol for ships.

Melissa Fernandez, IBP’s technology and innovation manager, pointed out that only 20 of the 80 students who applied made it to the end of the competition. “There were four finalist groups who made their way here with training, getting to know the diversified portfolios of the big companies. I think the winner’s differential was their commitment,” she said.

Decommissioning demands increasingly sustainable practices

The adoption of more sustainable practices is a matter of urgency in the decommissioning of ships and platforms and the final disposal of these structures. Data from the IOGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) indicates that, by 2030, US$ 100 million will be invested globally in this activity. Despite technological advances in recent years, the challenges of disposing of this equipment remain.

General overview of the oil and gas sector

The president of IBP, Roberto Ardenghy, also hosted a presentation at the Institute’s stand about the oil and gas sector in Brazil in the context of energy security and transition. Check out the full presentation here.

Distinguished Achievement Awards Ceremony

At the closing ceremony of OTC Brasil 2023, the most recent and relevant innovations in the sector were honored. The oil companies Petrobras and Enauta were acknowledged for the innovative projects they have been developing in the Brazilian oil and gas market.

OTC Brasil 2023 has master sponsorship from Petrobras; platinum sponsorship from Shell and TotalEnergies; gold sponsorship from Ambipar, bp, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Prio and RepsolSinopec Brasil; silver sponsorship from Enauta, Porto do Açu and TechnipFMC; bronze sponsorship from Corio Generation, Perbras, SBM Offshore, Tenaris, Tivit, Quorum Software and OceanPact; Decarbonization & Technology Arena sponsorship from Radix, ASME, TESS, GE, Huisman, Innovation Norway, PPSA, Bratecc, Shape and Wams; support as official airline operator from United Airlines; official carbon offset partnership from AMBIFY; ApexBrasil as the International Business partner; Blumar as the official tourism agency; B&T as the official foreign exchange broker; and partners such as Abimaq, Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, RedePetro ES, SPE UNIFEI and Norwegian Energy Partners. The event also has the support of the Federal Government.

“We’re holding an event that doesn’t just belong to the Oil and gas sector but to the Energy sector. Cross-sectionality and integration are on the horizon in the event market, which brings together the best ideas from the sector’s players. Here, the public can access cases on the future of energy developed by partners such as TotalEnergies, Porto do Açu, ExxonMobil, bp, Ambipar, Repsol Sinopec and many others,” says Roberto Ardenghy, president of IBP.

Thanks to the Institute’s expertise, the public is in for a robust international meeting of the sector: in the first two days of the OTC alone, more than 15,000 people were welcomed – the equivalent of the total number for the 2019 edition – with another 6,000 expected by the time it closes. There will be participants from 69 countries and 114 national and international speakers, highlighting the increasing diversification of market players and a focus on sustainable resources. Below we have some of the highlights of the fair in this 2023 edition:

IBP

With a focus on broadening the debate on decarbonization, IBP has launched the Decarbonization and Technology Arena, a space that showcases current initiatives and inspires the creation and acceleration of programs in this context. “We designed this area to share what the industry is already doing to contribute to an increasingly decarbonized energy grid, leading concrete and impactful projects,” explains Victor Montenegro, executive manager of Events and New Business at IBP.

The schedule of the Arena includes topics such as Norway’s contributions to decarbonization for the maritime sector in Brazil, the Net Zero journey in the O&G sector and the future of offshore wind energy.

Ambipar

Ambipar Group, a leading Brazilian multinational in environmental management, is sharing with the public its commitment to the sustainable development of the economy and the continuous improvement of its clients’ ESG indicators. Through the Ambipar Response vertical, the company operates in crisis management, industrial services, and emergency response with a team of specialists internationally certified to act in a simultaneous, scalable, and standardized manner.

For the CEO of Ambipar Response, Rafael Espírito Santo, being present at OTC Brazil is a unique opportunity to showcase the company’s varied portfolio of solutions to the global market. “We have maritime support resources to tackle oil spills, teams made up of biologists, oceanographers, geologists, and engineers for fauna and flora restoration, licensing, risk studies, environmental monitoring programs, and emergency response. Our solutions complement each other to protect and preserve the environment,” he says. In addition to Ambipar Group’s sponsorship of OTC Brazil, the company is offsetting carbon emissions from the entire event through Ambify.

bp

In Brazil for 50 years with a diversified portfolio that includes biofuels, aviation and marine fuels, upstream exploration, natural gas, trading, and solar energy, distributed between its own operations and joint ventures, bp reinforced to the congresspeople that it believes in the great Brazilian potential to be explored with the energy transition. “Our Upstream strategy is to produce what we call resilient hydrocarbons, and our vision is that we need to focus on high-quality oil and gas production with reduced emissions and, at the same time, look for new opportunities in low-carbon businesses,” says Angelica Ruiz, Senior Vice President for Latin America, and President of bp in Brazil.

Porto do Açu

Mauro Andrade, Director of New Businesses at the Port of Açu, emphasizes how the oil and offshore sector plays a key role in ensuring the transition. “In our area here at OTC, we work on a wide range of topics, in addition to oil and gas. We’re talking about intelligent electrical systems, renewable energies, about synergies between future offshore wind projects and the oil and gas area,” says Mauro, defending the expansion of the scope during OTC. He explains that over the next 10 years, R$20 billion will be invested in innovative projects, half of which should go to transition-related projects such as green hydrogen, manufactured products and decarbonization of the steel industry.

The executive also shared where the company is headed. “We’re still an oil and gas and mining hub, but our ambition, which is already very detailed, is to be an energy transition port industry,” he said. To achieve this goal, Porto do Açu is relying on concrete actions such as, for example, a photovoltaic solar generation plant within the port; studies to build green hydrogen generation pilot projects and others.

Innovation Norway

Raquel Filgueiras, Latin America advisor for the O&G and Naval sectors at Innovation Norway, which is the Norwegian government agency dedicated to promoting exports, explains that the institution is presenting initiatives aimed at innovation and sustainable business practices at the OTC through seven companies that are present at the organization’s stand. “Technical and scientific cooperation between Brazil and Norway can contribute to the development and research of technologies related to green marine fuels, fostering the exchange of knowledge and experiences, and promoting joint advances in the field of clean energy in the naval sector,” she says.

In addition, based on its offshore know-how, Innovation Norway promoted a panel in the IBP Decarbonization Arena to debate the study on “Decarbonization Alternatives in the Maritime Sector in Brazil: Contributions from Norway”, which was moderated by IBP’s Downstream Executive Director, Valéria Lima, and featured panelists such as the Executive Director for Brazil of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (ABRAM), Ricardo Fernandes; DNV’s New Business Development Manager for Latin America, Jonas Mattos, and CEBRI’s Senior Fellow, Rafaella Guedes. They discussed the investments in innovation and technology, support policies and collaboration along the value chain that will be essential to drive the adoption of low-emission solutions for ships.

TotalEnergies

The French company TotalEnergies is presenting its multi-energy portfolio and technologies for Brazil and worldwide, aimed at new energies and reducing emissions, at the OTC trade fair. “The fair allows us to discuss paths towards a sustainable energy transition, showing how focused we are on developing technologies that allow us to increase production and reduce costs and emissions,” says Charles Fernandes, General Director of TotalEnergies in Brazil. “Every year, we dedicate around US$ 1 billion to Research and development and innovation worldwide. In Brazil alone, we invest more than R$400 million in 80 research, development, and innovation projects, almost 50% of which is directed towards new energies and reducing emissions,” he adds.

Repsol Sinopec

Another major player in the sector, the company is taking advantage of OTC to publicize its decarbonization project, based on research and development. “We want to implement a hub of technologies in Brazil to reduce emissions. We are investing in the direct capture of carbon from the atmosphere, with the implementation, still unprecedented in Latin America, of the first equipment for the direct capture of CO2 from the air, through projects conducted in partnership with the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul and Senai Cimatec,” explains Cassiane Nunes, Support and Research Portfolio Manager at Repsol Sinopec.

OTC Brasil runs until Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. The 2023 edition has master sponsorship from Petrobras; platinum sponsorship from Shell and TotalEnergies; gold sponsorship from Ambipar, bp, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Prio and RepsolSinopec Brasil; silver sponsorship from Enauta, Porto do Açu and TechnipFMC; bronze sponsorship from Corio Generation, Perbras, SBM Offshore, Tenaris, Tivit, Quorum Software and OceanPact; Decarbonization & Technology Arena sponsorship from Radix, ASME, TESS, GE, Huisman, Innovation Norway, PPSA, Bratecc, Shape and Wams; support as official airline operator from United Airlines; official carbon offset partnership from AMBIFY; ApexBrasil as the International Business partner; Blumar as the official tourism agency; B&T as the official foreign exchange broker; and partners such as Abimaq, Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, RedePetro ES, SPE UNIFEI and Norwegian Energy Partners. The event also has the support of the Federal Government.

Service: OTC Brasil 2023

Date: October 24 to 26, 2023

Venue: ExpoMag, Rio de Janeiro

Information on the last available tickets here.

The oil and gas sector is key to economic growth, energy security and the energy transition. In this context, the decarbonization of the sector was the highlight during the second day of OTC Brazil. In a debate with IBP president Roberto Ardenghy, Alberto Ferrin, president of ExxonMobil in Brazil, highlighted the company’s long-term vision of the global energy market.

According to Ferrin, the outlook is for renewable energies to play a greater role, but oil and gas exploration and production activities will still play a crucial role in society.

“By 2050, there will be 2 billion more people on the planet. That’s an increase of 25%, as well as an improvement in living standards. For ExxonMobil, this will drive consumption of all types of energy,” said the executive.

Petrobras reduces emissions by 30% with electrified equipment

Carlos Travassos, director of engineering, technology, and innovation at Petrobras, said that decarbonization and the energy transition will be led globally by the O&G segment. Electrification is a trend that Petrobras is working on in the short term. “We have already reduced 30% of our emissions with electrified equipment,” he revealed.

In the renewable energy segment, Travassos pointed to Petrobras’ interest in offshore wind technology. The executive emphasized that the company has the know-how to lead this market. “We are studying how we can operate in the offshore wind segment in the long term. We have the expertise to support Brazil in this field of renewable energy generation,” he concluded.

 Existing technologies support decarbonization

In the current production chain in the energy sector, around 70% of the equipment is already planned and operating with a focus on global decarbonization. This is the assessment of Armando Juliani, EAD Solutions Leader at Siemens Energy. “Electrification is a way of reducing emissions in some industries, such as the automotive one”. Providing a future perspective, Joao Caldas (Head of Analytics, New Technologies and Innovation at Casa dos Ventos) estimated that, by 2050, we will be talking about 100% solar and wind generation. “In the last decade, we’ve seen a 90% increase in renewables on the grid,” he said.

The pre-salt is safe for carbon storage

There are several mechanisms for carbon capture and storage (CCUS) in the pre-salt reservoirs, which can be managed safely according to Jorge Pizarro, PPSA’s reservoir control coordinator. “We have great prospects for CCUS programs for the pre-salt in the next 20 – 30 years. We will see advances in offshore technology and economic studies to make the projects viable,” says Pizarro. Today, Petrobras has the world’s largest CCUS project in the pre-salt, with 23 platforms equipped with storage systems. More than 40 million tons of CO2 were reinjected into the reservoirs by 2023 and the goal is to reach 80 million by 2025.

Energy integration

The challenges of energy integration in Brazil were also addressed on the second day of OTC Brazil. Márcio Félix, CEO of EnP, emphasized that there is a lot of work to be done to promote better integration between different energy sources. “We will have the option of electric cars and we have thousands of refueling stations, along with a strong biofuels segment. We need to balance existing and new infrastructure,” he said.

The importance of the Mero field

Operated by Petrobras and their partners, the Mero field, in the pre-salt Santos Basin, is now considered “state of the art” in the global oil and gas industry. On the eve of its 10th anniversary, celebrated at OTC 2023, FPSO Guanabara, the largest in operation in the country, reached a production record of 180,000 barrels of oil and 12 million m³ of gas per day. And with the entry into production of FPSO Sepetiba, in the Mero field, production capacity will increase to 630,000 barrels per day.

By 2025, the field will have five integrated subsea systems and will be operating with new technologies to maximize its capacity, such as 4D artificial intelligence for surveying seismic data. Other innovations in the project include the adoption of the Wag loop and a fully integrated subsea well system.

Spotlight on New Technology® Awards

By the end of the second day of OTC Brazil, awards were granted to the leading cases of recent technologies considered to be the most advanced to guide the offshore industry in the coming years.

The winners of the Spotlight on New Technology® Awards are:

– Bosch Rexroth, producer of Lean All-Electric Subsea Valve Actuation

– DeltaTek – an Expro Company, producer of QuikCure®.

– Expro, producer – Expro HotDAS, ExDTS and QikView DFOS Data Processing and Visualization Software

– Expro, producer of Centri-FI™ Consolidated Control Console

OTC Brasil runs until Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. The 2023 edition has master sponsorship from Petrobras; platinum sponsorship from Shell and TotalEnergies; gold sponsorship from Ambipar, bp, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Prio and RepsolSinopec Brasil; silver sponsorship from Enauta, Porto do Açu and TechnipFMC; bronze sponsorship from Corio Generation, Perbras, SBM Offshore, Tenaris, Tivit, Quorum Software and OceanPact; Decarbonization & Technology Arena sponsorship from Radix, ASME, TESS, GE, Huisman, Innovation Norway, PPSA, Bratecc, Shape and Wams; support as official airline operator from United Airlines; official carbon offset partnership from AMBIFY; ApexBrasil as the International Business partner; Blumar as the official tourism agency; B&T as the official foreign exchange broker; and partners such as Abimaq, Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, RedePetro ES, SPE UNIFEI and Norwegian Energy Partners. The event also has the support of the Federal Government.

Service: OTC Brazil 2023

Date: October 24 to 26, 2023

Venue: ExpoMag, Rio de Janeiro

Information on the last available tickets here.

The challenges in monetizing natural gas in the face of growing demand in the country were widely debated on the first day of OTC Brasil in the panel “Challenges to monetize Natural Gas from High GOR Offshore Fields”. Representatives from Petrobras, Equinor and Repsol Sinopec, which are involved in major natural gas projects under development in Brazil’s pre-salt layer, discussed strategies to enable what important segments of society are seeking: an increase in the supply of the input to boost and further establish the New Gas Market.

Bruno Moczydlower, Petrobras’ executive manager for reservoirs, said that the company is committed to increasing gas production for the Brazilian market and pointed out that, as of next year, the Rota 3 project, developed to expand the flow of natural gas from the pre-salt Santos Basin, will already be operating. By 2028, two other large-capacity projects, the Sergipe Deepwater Project (SEAP) and the Raia Project, through the BM-C-33 consortium, should also be operating. Together, the three projects will be able to deliver a capacity of over 50 million cubic meters per day.

According to Thiago Penna, Director of Equinor’s Raia Project, which is under development and has a flow capacity of approximately 16 million cubic meters per day, the challenges of natural gas production can be overcome through innovation and efficiency in reducing carbon emissions. “Our projects need to be robust financially and in terms of carbon emissions. In this sense, we have introduced several innovations. We will have one of the most efficient and innovative FPSOs in the world”.

Andres Sannazzaro, gas marketing and public relations manager at Repsol Sinopec Brazil, recalled the need for predictability when making long-term decisions and stressed that the alternatives for monetizing gas include production itself, distance from the consumer market and the presence or absence of associated gas.

New challenges at the Pre-salt

Another challenge the national oil industry faces is related to Brazil’s pre-salt layer. Companies and suppliers have sought to develop new technologies to achieve more efficient production. Thanks to the complexity of the geological environment, the use of more advanced innovations plays a key role in production in the region.

For Raimon Alfaro, Geophysics Research & Development Leader at TotalEnergies, geophysical technologies are key to unlocking the potential of the pre-salt. Alex Martinez, Senior Geophysicist at ExxonMobil, added that technology needs to be developed for each environment in question.

Jorge Luis Lopez, from Shell, said that new seismic technologies are the company’s strategy to mitigate the risks for reservoir recovery.

Diego Garcia, from Petrobras, highlighted the oil company’s strategy in the operation of the Mero field, whose development plan involves the deployment of four FPSOs that will come into operation by 2025 and will together produce 180,000 barrels per day, raising the field’s recovery factor to somewhere between 1% and 3%.

Innovation and entrepreneurship

How can we promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector, which values safety in its operations and still operates according to traditional project models? What is the future of work in the sector? These were the main questions addressed in the iUP Technical Sessions panels on the first day of OTC 2023.

Cleusa Araújo, Shell’s Energy Transition Manager, stressed the importance of the ESG agenda in driving innovation. “It is a trend that drives all our actions”. Mariana Kobayashi, from Total Energies, pointed out that one of the biggest challenges in innovating in the industry is safety. For Matteo Cervelli, Innovation Manager at Vibra, innovation must be connected to the business strategy. “There’s no point in inventing something that does not meet the needs of those who pay the bill”.  Ricardo Yogui, from PUC-RJ, warned that “133 million new jobs will be generated from technology and innovation, but others will disappear in the next few years”.

Executive Dialogues

At the Executive Dialogues session, Roberto Ardenghy, president of IBP, welcomed Bruno Chabas, CEO of SBM Offshore, who stressed the importance of society understanding how essential energy is to people’s lives. “With this understanding, it will be possible to move forward with the energy transition at the right pace, while maintaining safety.” According to Chabas, the company plans to reduce its emissions by around 30% over the next few years. “Carbon capture is one of our main focuses. The scenario the world will have in 10 years will basically depend on new technologies.”

Roberto Ardenghy also hosted Yann Cottart, vice president of Subsea7 Brasil. The executive explained that sustainability is one of the company’s main values and that they are working to further improve their operations. “We are committed to reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2045, implementing changes and solutions currently available and introducing new cleaner technologies as they become commercially available at scale in the market,” said Cottart.

OTC Brasil runs until Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. The 2023 edition has master sponsorship from Petrobras; platinum sponsorship from Shell and TotalEnergies; gold sponsorship from Ambipar, BP, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Prio and RepsolSinopec Brasil; silver sponsorship from Enauta, Porto do Açu and TechnipFMC; bronze sponsorship from Corio Generation, Perbras, SBM Offshore, Tenaris, Tivit, Quorum Software and OceanPact; Decarbonization & Technology Arena sponsorship from Radix, ASME, TESS, GE, Huisman, Innovation Norway, PPSA, Bratecc, Shape and Wams; support as official airline operator from United Airlines; official carbon offset partnership from AMBIFY; ApexBrasil as the International Business partner; Blumar as the official tourism agency; B&T as the official foreign exchange broker; and partners such as Abimaq, Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, RedePetro ES, SPE UNIFEI and Norwegian Energy Partners. The event also has the support of the Federal Government.

Service: OTC Brazil 2023

Date: October 24 to 26, 2023

Venue: ExpoMag, Rio de Janeiro

Information on the last available tickets here.

A promising market, capable of leading the energy transition, but which still depends on a legal framework, was the tone of the panel “Unlocking the potential for offshore wind in Brazil”, at OTC Brasil, in which representatives of the oil and gas sector pointed out Brazil as the ideal region for the development of these projects.

“It is important to emphasize that, in companies like Equinor, we compete for investment capital with other countries in the world and if this does not happen within a certain horizon, this capital can go to other countries,” said André Leite, Director of Offshore Wind for Latin America at Equinor.

“We see Brazil as a greenfield, an unregulated market. We had a decree, but we hope to have a more robust framework to provide more safety for the investments that will be required. We need a solid regulatory framework that offers safety to bring these investments to Brazil,” said Fernanda Scoponi, Senior Business Development Manager – Offshore Wind Energy at TotalEnergies.

Petrobras has reaffirmed its strategy of investing in offshore wind farms, mentioning a project under study off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte. Petrobras’ executive manager for renewables, Daniel Cleverson Pedroso, stressed the importance of the partnership with the state and universities and said that the first stage will be to obtain a permit for the area with Ibama.

Opportunities and challenges in the Brazilian oil and gas sector

The possibility of developing new areas, such as in the Equatorial Margin, is driving Petrobras’ efforts, while the offer of new blocks is raising interest in the next permanent offer cycles.

Otaviano da Cruz Pessoa Neto, general manager of technology and applied data for exploration at Petrobras, reinforced the company’s commitment to developing new areas and pointed to the equatorial margin as the main destination for the company’s Capex in this segment. “We are going to invest US$ 3 billion in exploration campaigns on the equatorial margin by 2027, with the drilling of 16 wells”.

TotalEnergies’ exploration manager for Brazil, Guyana and Suriname, Jacques-Antoine Dal, recalled that the company’s goal is to offer energy with fewer emissions, and Brazil is a key part of this strategy. “In Brazil, we have a multi-energy portfolio with deepwater oil production, solar and wind plants, refueling stations and research and development activities,” said Dal.

Marina Abelha, Superintendent of the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) highlighted the availability of new areas in the cycles of the Permanent Offer to be held by the Regulatory Agency in December, especially in the Pelotas Basin. “All 132 sectors in the Pelotas Basin have received a declaration of interest statement”.

The Norway Case

Brazil and Norway must strengthen diplomatic and economic ties to lead the energy transition in the maritime sector, which today operates with around 90% of its capacity based on fossil fuels. The data was presented at the panel “Innovation Norway – Norway’s contributions to decarbonization for the maritime sector in Brazil”.

“There is a bill in Congress on the Fuel of the Future, which covers the aviation sector, but not the maritime sector, which creates an important gap. Norway has vast experience in low-carbon emissions in the maritime sector and strategic complementarities with Brazil,” said Valéria Lima, Executive Director of Downstream at the Brazilian Petroleum and Gas Institute (IBP).

Rafaela Guedes, Senior Fellow at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), who conducted a study on the energy transition for the maritime sector in partnership with the Norwegian Consulate, pointed out that the solution for decarbonizing this sector in Brazil will not be a sole one. “For Brazil, a very important route will be biofuels, which will not exclude, for example, the electrification of small short-distance vessels, especially in the Amazon. Diesel can make up almost 50% of the income of families in the region,” she pointed out.

Record audience

The first day of OTC Brasil registered a 32% increase in attendance compared to the last edition. More than 5,000 people visited the event’s stands and halls, compared to 3,800 at the 2019 edition.

OTC Brasil runs until Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. The 2023 edition has master sponsorship from Petrobras; platinum sponsorship from Shell and TotalEnergies; gold sponsorship from Ambipar, BP, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Prio and RepsolSinopec Brasil; silver sponsorship from Enauta, Porto do Açu and TechnipFMC; bronze sponsorship from Corio Generation, Perbras, SBM Offshore, Tenaris, Tivit, Quorum Software and OceanPact; Decarbonization & Technology Arena sponsorship from Radix, ASME, TESS, GE, Huisman, Innovation Norway, PPSA, Bratecc, Shape and Wams; support as official airline operator from United Airlines; official carbon offset partnership from AMBIFY; ApexBrasil as the International Business partner; Blumar as the official tourism agency; B&T as the official foreign exchange broker; and partners such as Abimaq, Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, RedePetro ES, SPE UNIFEI and Norwegian Energy Partners. The event also has the support of the Federal Government.

Service: OTC Brazil 2023

Date: October 24 to 26, 2023

Venue: ExpoMag, Rio de Janeiro

Information on the last available tickets here.

From today until Thursday, Rio de Janeiro will be the global hub for debate on offshore technologies in the oil and gas sector, bringing together experts and the industry’s leading companies at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Brazil 2023, which advocates the need to expand production in a context of pressing energy security needs.  

At the opening session of the conference on Tuesday (10/24), the president of the Brazilian Petroleum and Gas Institute (IBP), Roberto Ardenghy, highlighted the importance of OTC Brasil in promoting technical discussions on the industry’s most pressing issues and showing the contribution of the O&G sector to society, with total respect for the environment and in line with the energy transition – which demands multiple energy sources.  

“At OTC Brasil we will see a reinventing industry committed to the Brazilian and global communities. We are responsible for a large part of the energy that drives the world, and we want to continue doing so with respect for the environment as well as operational safety,” said Ardenghy. 

In a message recorded exclusively for OTC Brasil, the Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), HE Haitham Al Ghais, stressed the need to increase oil production due to growing demand and Brazil’s role on the global stage. “The demand for oil will reach 116 million barrels per day by 2045 and, in order to meet this consumption, investments of US$ 14 trillion will be needed by then. I have no doubt that Brazil will continue to be at the forefront of the industry, contributing to the energy supply,” said Al Ghais. 

Carlos Travassos, Director of Production Development at Petrobras, showed that the company is increasingly focusing its efforts on technology. “We have received several awards for our innovations and this year we broke the record for patents filed. This sends an important message that we are building an innovation environment for the future, which will lead us down the path of a fair energy transition,” he concluded. 

Fabio Mitidieri, governor of Sergipe, which has been emerging as an important production hub, mainly due to the great potential of natural gas, stressed that the state is increasingly inserted in the energy market, with an innovative, unbureaucratic business environment that is open to new investments. “Sergipe wants to take part in discussions on the energy market, we have hydroelectric plants, solar plants, wind farms, and the best gas regulation in Brazil. We want to be partners with the private sector and build a new development environment,” he said. 

The vision of the sector’s regulating body shows that the country has a lot of potential to advance even further. Rodolfo Saboia, director general of ANP, the National Agency for Oil, showed how oil and gas production has grown in the country and the market opportunities for the coming years. “By 2025, we will exceed 4 million barrels/day of oil production, and, over the next five years, we will have another US$ 90 billion in investments in the industry. In addition, in December we will have the offer of areas in the Permanent Offer cycles, and we expect great results”. 

OTC Brasil runs until Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. The 2023 edition has the master sponsorship from Petrobras; platinum sponsorship from Shell and TotalEnergies; gold sponsorship from Ambipar, BP, Chevron, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Prio and RepsolSinopec Brasil; silver sponsorship from Enauta, Porto do Açu and TechnipFMC; bronze sponsorship from Corio Generation, Perbras, SBM Offshore, Tenaris, Tivit, Quorum Software and OceanPact; Decarbonization & Technology Arena sponsorship from Radix, ASME, TESS, GE, Huisman, Innovation Norway, PPSA, Bratecc, Shape and Wams; support as official airline operator from United Airlines; official carbon offset partnership from AMBIFY; ApexBrasil as the International Business partner; Blumar as the official tourism agency; B&T as the official foreign exchange broker; and partners such as Abimaq, Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, RedePetro ES, SPE UNIFEI and Norwegian Energy Partners. The event also has the support of the Federal Government. 

Service: OTC Brazil 2023 

Date: October 24 to 26, 2023 

Local: ExpoMag, Rio de Janeiro 

Information on the last available tickets here.  

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (August 30 2023) – The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) and the Instituto Brasileiro de Petróleo e Gás (IBP) are pleased to announce the Brazilian recipients of the OTC 2023 Distinguished Achievement Awards. This year, the conference recognizes Jacques Braile Saliés, PhD, for Individual Achievement; Petrobras’ Tethered BOP and the Real Time Riser Analysis for Subsea Wells Construction field for Company Achievement; and Cezar Augusto Silva Paulo, with the Heritage Award.

These accomplishments are truly significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in Brazil.

Recipients will be honored prior to each OTC Brasil daily plenary session at the Expo Mag in Rio de Janeiro.

OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals

Jacques Braile Saliés, PhD is honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals for his important contribution to the development and implementation of deepwater technologies in Brazil. He is one of the most important names in drilling engineering in the country.

For the last 42 years, Saliés has been consistently contributing to the progress of the deepwater industry on its operational, research, and development aspects. In the research and development area, his research for his PhD dissertation (TU – 1994) was presented at several international conferences and became the foundation for many other investigations on buckling. Also, his research on buckling was fundamental to understanding buckling behavior and lock-up conditions of pipes while drilling extended-reach, high-inclined wells, which are so commonly used in offshore/offshore field developments.

Related to the development of the offshore industry in Brazil, Saliés was the coordinator (2003–2005) of the historic Petrobras PROCAP program, which developed several breakthrough deepwater applications that led Petrobras to win the OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, and Institutions three times. Saliés is the inventor of a patent (USA, Norway, Brazil) related to a methodology for drilling and completion for oil wells with small intermediate diameters. Such methodology has been used for Petrobras S.A. to drill more than 100 offshore wells in Brazil’s Campos Basin.

Retired from Petrobras (2011), Saliés manages the deepwater drilling and completions operations of Enauta, an independent oil and gas operator in Brazil.

OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, and Institutions

Petrobras is presented with the OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for companies in recognition of jointly applying the Moored BOP and the Real Time Riser Analysis for Subsea Wells Construction field. To make viable Dynamic Positioning operations on shallow waters the challenges were: the applied bending moment and the conservativeness of the Riser Analysis study. To overcome this challenge the Petrobras technical team proposed a combination of two existing different technologies: Moored BOP and Real Time Riser Analysis.

Petrobras Naval and Riser Analysis team successfully deployed this innovative solution and made viable wells intervention using Dynamic Positioned Drilling Rigs in Shallow waters. The company achieved viable DP operations in shallow waters up to 150 m depth, increased safety and performance due to the use of newer rigs (in comparison with the older Moored Units) and system monitoring, reduced massively the footprint impact on seabed – Moored BOP vs Conventional Moored unit 99 reduction -, and also made viable operations on congested seabed area, including marine corals and marine fauna area.

Petrobras has shared its innovative solution with other operators publishing the Technical Specification on its website “Canal do Fornecedor.”

OTC Heritage Award

The OTC Heritage Award is presented to Cezar Paulo for his outstanding leadership, mentorship, and his pioneering efforts in the development of new technologies for deepwater production in Brazil.

Paulo has more than 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. His work history has been related to underwater technology activities, contributing to pioneering deepwater projects, such as the first generation of subsea manifolds in Campos Basin; also, strategic subsea systems like multiphase pumping, gas-liquid subsea separation and subsea raw water injection systems. He took part in the free-standing hybrid riser study that set the technical basis for the oil export riser for P-52 platform.

Paulo contributed to organizing specialization courses in Subsea Engineering in Petrobras, in conjunction with Petrobras University, Operational Units and R&D Center, with more than 350 engineers trained. He also took part in the conceptual designs for the first production systems for Santos Basin Pre-Salt.

“Cezar has dedicated most of his career in the subsea area and I have had the opportunity to testimony some of the efforts developed by him. The first one was in 90s when we faced the challenge to design a subsea Christmas tree with a standard interface, in order to allow the flexibility to explore the offshore fields in 1,000 meter of water depths, a pioneering scenario at that time” remembers Orlando Ribeiro, former Executive Manager of Petrobras R&D Center.

For more information about the recipients and the awards ceremony, visit www.otcbrasil.org.

About the OTC Distinguished Achievement Awards

The Offshore Technology Conference and its regional events recognize major technological, humanitarian, safety, environmental, and leadership contributions to the industry each year. In recognition of peer-nominated truly outstanding accomplishments or achievements, the OTC Board honors an individual and an organization as recipients of the prestigious OTC Distinguished Achievement Award. In some editions, OTC also awards a Special Citation or Heritage Award to recognize other notable activities or developments that benefit the offshore energy industry.

About Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. Founded in 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually in Houston. OTC has expanded technically and globally with OTC Brasil and OTC Asia. For more information, visit www.otcnet.org.

About IBP

Founded in 1957, IBP is a private, non-profit organization focused on promoting the development of Brazilian oil and gas industry in a competitive, sustainable, ethical and socially responsible environment. Today, IBP gathers around 200 member companies, and it is recognized as an important industry representative for its technical knowledge and for fostering the related to its biggest issues. Organizer of the main oil & gas events in Brazil, such as Rio Oil & Gas and OTC Brasil, IBP also develops technical courses and it is also responsible for standardization, certification of inspection services and technical publications. Learn more at www.ibp.org.br.

In this first moment, the interested authors must submit an abstract of up to 450 words, considering the technical agenda and describing the possible applications of the information that will be provided in the paper. Access here the Author Kit Frequently Asked Questions.

The technical program comprises topics such as Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), pre-salt development, automation, decommissioning, digital transformation, digital technologies, data management, energy transition, renewable energy and sustainability. Learn more about the program here.

Service: Call for Papers for OTC 2023

Date: through 7 March 2023

Information on the program and submissions here.