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Brazil

Photo: Einar Aslaksen

Brazil has a promising future ahead thanks to what it has always had to offer: Sun, wind and people.

Equinor has been present in Brazil for more than two decades, and we see the country as a core area for long-term growth. In our local portfolio, besides O&G assets, we are expanding our investments into renewable energies.

Site Equinor Brasil – em português

How to find us in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro
Rua do Russel 804, Glória
Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Postal code: 22.210-010
Brazil
Telephone: +55 (21) 3479-9800

www.equinor.com.br

Oil and natural gas

Development

Raia, one of our main natural gas projects
Located in the Campos Basin, Raia comprises three different pre-salt discoveries: Pão de Açúcar, Gávea and Seat. They contain natural gas and oil/condensate recoverable reserves of above 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (Boe). The gas export capacity is 16 MSm3/d and may represent 15% of the total Brazilian gas demand at start-up, which is expected in 2028.

Raia is operated by Equinor (35%), in partnership with Repsol Sinopec (35%) and Petrobras (30%). The asset is innovative in Brazil and is based on production by wells connected to a FPSO with the capacity to process produced oil/condensate and gas, as well as specifying them for sale.

The gas specified for commercialization will be discharged through a 200 km offshore pipeline, leaving the FPSO towards Cabiúnas, in the city of Macaé (Rio de Janeiro, BR). The liquids will be offloaded through reliever vessels. For the first time in Brazil, we will specify the gas offshore and deliver it directed to the transmission system without the need for onshore processing, due to the quality of the hydrocarbons that will be produced in the field.

Raia’s FPSO is expected to be the most self-powered carbon efficient in the world. It will be Equinor’s second FPSO in Brazil using combined cycle gas turbines, which will have a steam turbine to take advantage of excess heat that would otherwise be lost. The average CO2 intensity of the field over its lifetime will be lower than 6 kilos per barrel. FPSO capacity is approximately 126.000 bpd.

Together with partners, Equinor announced the investment of approximately USD 9 billion to develop the project. Raia is one of the main gas projects in the country being a key contributor to the further development of the Brazilian gas market. The project will also contribute to local energy security and economic development, creating up to 50.000 direct and indirect jobs locally throughout its lifetime.

Bacalhau, the first pre-salt project to be developed by an international operator.
Bacalhau will be important not only for Brazil but also for the global market. The field is located in the Santos Basin, and operated by Equinor (40%), in partnership with ExxonMobil (40%), Petrogal Brasil (20%) and PPSA (Government Company). Equinor acquired the operatorship in 2016, and first oil is expected in 2025.

This is the first project in the Brazilian pre-salt area to be entirely developed by an international operator and where Equinor uses its global competence and local expertise to generate value with low emissions. The project will also contribute to local economic development, creating up to 50.000 direct and indirect jobs locally throughout its lifetime.

Bacalhau will feature one of the largest FPSOs in Brazil. The ship is 364 meters long and 64 meters wide, with a production capacity of 220,000 barrels of oil per day. The asset has a high-quality carbonate reservoir containing light oil.

Bacalhau will be the first asset to have a FPSO in Brazil which uses combined cycle gas turbines, significantly reducing our carbon emissions. The technology combines a gas turbine with a steam turbine to take advantage of excess heat that would otherwise be lost. The introduction of combined cycle technology increases energy efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions by about 110K tons/year, which is about 3 million tons over the field lifetime. The field is expected to have a CO2 intensity lower than 9 kg/barrel.

Map, Brazil

Production

Peregrino is paving the future of the company in Brazil
The story of Equinor in Brazil started with Peregrino, a field that many did not consider possible to develop and where we established a solid foundation to grow in the country.

More than 230 million barrels have been safely produced in Peregrino since 2011. It is the largest production field operated by Equinor outside Norway, with daily production of 110,000 barrels of oil.

Peregrino consists of a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platform, supported by three fixed platforms: Alfa, Bravo and Charlie. The field is in Campos Basin, operated by Equinor (60%), in partnership with Sinochem (40%).

Roncador, a strategic partnership.
Roncador was the largest offshore discovery in Brazil in the 1990s and has a current production of almost 150,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), as well as being the largest producing field outside the pre-salt area, with approximately 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent originally in the reservoir.

Operated by Petrobras (75%), in partnership with Equinor (25%) since 2018, we have the ambition to reach an additional 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Petrobras is the world's largest deepwater operator, and Equinor has extensive competence and experience in Increased Oil Recovery (IOR).

The systematic IOR process has already demonstrated impressive results in Roncador, with the first eight wells showing a 50% reduction in costs and contributing to increase 25% of the field's production.

The strategic alliance agreement also includes an energy efficiency and CO2 emissions reduction program for Roncador.

Woman in front of a solar plant. Photo

Renewables

In Equinor we are transforming our company to support and accelerate the energy transition and ensure a competitive and resilient business model in line with the Paris Agreement.

This means reducing emissions from our oil and gas production, growing within wind and solar, and developing low-carbon solutions on an industrial scale.

In our business there are a multitude of ways in which we can contribute to reducing carbon emissions, and we are taking concerted action in many areas to effect real change.

Apodi – Ceará, operated by Scatec (43,5%), in partnership with Equinor (43,5%) and ApodiPar (13%)
Apodi is the first solar plant in Equinor's global portfolio and started production in 2018. Apodi has a capacity of 162 MW, providing energy capable of supplying 200,000 Brazilian homes.

Mendubim – Rio Grande do Norte, operated by Scatec (33,3%), in partnership with Equinor (33,3%) and Hydro Rein (33,3%)
In 2022, we started the initial construction phase of our second solar project in Brazil, Mendubim. Mendubim has a capacity of 531 MW and, as of 2024, will produce enough energy to supply the consumption of 620,000 Brazilian households. The construction phase will create more than one thousand direct and indirect jobs. Total project capital expenditure (capex) is estimated to be around USD 430 million.

The partnership has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alunorte (Norsk Hydro´s subsidiary), one of the world’s leading suppliers of alumina,for approximately 60 per cent of the expected power produced. The remaining volume will be sold in the Brazilian power market. The power trading services are expected to be provided by Hydro Energia and Equinor’s wholly owned energy trading house, Danske Commodities.

Rio Energy
In July 2023, Equinor signed an agreement with Denham Capital to acquire Rio Energy, a leading onshore renewables company in Brazil. Once the transaction is approved by regulatory authorities, Equinor will hold a 100% stake in Rio Energy and retain the current management team and a total of about 140 employees. The acquired portfolio consists of the 0.2 GW Serra da Babilonia 1, producing onshore wind farm in the state of Bahia, a 0.6 GW pre-construction solar PV portfolio and a project pipeline of about 1.2 GW of onshore wind and solar projects.

Creating Value in Brazil

Being a partner to our host communities is important to ensure our long-term relationship and the success of our activities. We believe that we can bring a range of positive benefits to the societies where we operate, when these are pursued in collaboration.

Sponsorships

Increasing Brazilians' access to cultural initiatives is in line with Equinor's objectives to create local value for the country. The company believes that, through education, sports and culture, it creates lasting local value and helps develop a better-empowered society for generations to come.

Since 2018, Equinor has been the Master sponsor of MAR (Rio Art Museum), Galpão Aplauso project and Urece Goalball Institute.

Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR)
In partnership with the city's Secretariat of Education and in collaboration with universities, MAR developed the Escola do Olhar academic program to discuss art, image culture, education and practices in curation.

Galpāo Aplauso
An institution with more than 20 years of experience in the professionalization of young people in situations of social vulnerability in five main skills of art: visual arts, circus, dance, music and theater.

Goalball
Created by and for people with visual impairments, the objective of this project is to provide quality educational practices, specifically Goalball for young people at social risk in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Social Investment

Since 2017, Equinor has been investing in institutions and social projects focused on education for young people, such as Dream Lean Work and Trilha Empreendedora.

Dream Learn Work is a non-profit organization founded by Norwegian companies in Brazil. It was created to support the entry of young Brazilians from less developed areas into the labor market. Equinor provides financial support to sponsor technical courses and have been developing mentoring program and other activities for DLW’s participants.

Trilha Empreendedora is a project developed by the NGO Junior Achievement and, through IBP (Brazilian Petroleum Institute), several companies in the sector have supported this initiative, including Equinor. The project allows employees of the companies involved to volunteer hours of their time to exchange experiences with young people about the job market, financial education, entrepreneurship, among other topics.

In partnership with Shell, Equinor have been developing a project called Mar Atento which aims to provide operational knowledge to fishermen enabling them to act in case of an emergence response. The project is already being developed in six municipalities in Campos Basin and until now around 300 fishermen were trained.

Mandatory Projects with Local Communities

Part of the Brazilian environmental licensing process, monitored by the environmental agency – IBAMA, as part of the environmental license conditions which aim to mitigate environmental impacts associated with potentially polluting activity.

The Social Communication Project (PCS) aims to provide information and to be a channel between company and impacted communities, especially social groups related to the fishing chain.

Our environmental education project is called PEA FOCO and is focused on women of the fishing chain. The project is developed in five municipalities surrounding the Campos Basin (São Francisco do Itabapoana, São João da Barra, Cabo Frio, Armação dos Búzios, Arraial do Cabo) and it aims to strengthen community organization and provide awareness about citizenship, rights and duties towards local public policies, gender equality and income generation initiatives. This project has been developed since 2011.

Research & Development

Since the 1970s, Equinor has been partnering with academia in Norway and other countries where it operates, focusing on strategic activities for both parties.

In Brazil, the company has invested around R$ 465 million through R&D projects in the country. Currently Equinor has around 46 R&D projects ongoing, with academia, and local companies, being suppliers, medium and small companies, with some projects being developed in partnership with peer companies.

Equinor's investments in research, development and innovation in Brazil are focused on the following areas: Subsea, Subsurface, Renewable Energy and Low Carbon portfolio.