Brazil

We have been present in Brazil since 2001, focusing on exploration and production of oil and gas, and on renewable energies. We have a long-term commitment to Brazil, one of the key areas for our investments in the coming decades.

We have a diversified oil and gas portfolio in the country, with licenses at different stages - exploration, development and production - in the Campos and Santos Basins. We have in Brazil the first solar plant in Equinor's global portfolio, located in Ceará, with the capacity to generate energy for 200 thousand Brazilian families. The second solar project of Equinor’s portfolio in Brazil is being built in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, with expected start of production in 2024.

Production

Peregrino, over 210 million barrels produced.
Equinor has been producing oil and gas in Brazil since 2011, when the Peregrino field started operating in the Campos Basin, our largest international offshore operation. Since then, we have produced more than 210 million barrels in the field.

Peregrino field is formed by a FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) unit, supported by three wellhead platforms.

Peregrino phase 2 consisted of the installation of the third platform (Peregrino C) with drilling facilities, as well as a new pipeline importing gas to the platform for power generation. With Phase 2, that produced its first oil in 2022, Peregrino field life will be extended to 2040. It will also add 250-300 million barrels of oil, while at the same time halving expected CO₂ emissions per barrel over the field remaining lifetime. Phase 2 will also increase the field production to 110,000 barrels per day at plateau whilst halving our emissions intensity.

Peregrino is our daily laboratory in the search of production efficiency. The new platform is equipped with the latest digital tools, like a 3D model of the entire platform that operators can use on an iPad in the field. Besides enhancing efficiency in maintenance activities, the technology also improves cooperation offshore and between the platform and the onshore operational support team in Rio de Janeiro.

In line with Equinor’s low carbon strategy, measures have been taken to reduce CO₂ emissions from the field. By switching from diesel to gas for power generation on Peregrino C, phase 2 will avoid 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from the field per year. It is expected to have an 80% reduction in the field’s diesel consumption. With the initiative, Equinor also expects that the production of each barrel of oil by Peregrino will emit 50% less CO₂. This will also reduce costs and simplify logistics in the operational phase. New digital solutions will also contribute to optimized production, reducing energy usage and thereby CO₂ emissions.

Roncador, a strategic partnership.
Located in the Campos Basin, Roncador is one of the largest producer fields outside the pre-salt layer, with approximately 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

Operated by Petrobras, it was considered the biggest discovery offshore in the 1990s. In 2018 a strategic partnership was established between Equinor and Petrobras.

The objective in Roncador is to increase the field recovery factor, that is, extract more oil from the reservoirs already known, through the company's expertise in increased oil recovery (IOR) of reservoirs. Equinor is recognized worldwide for its experience in this area, having achieved well above world average recovery factors in several fields.

The partnership is progressing towards the ambition to increase the recovery by 1 billion boe. The production of the first IOR wells started in 2022.

Development

Bacalhau, the first pre-salt project to be developed by an international operator.
Discovered in 2012 and acquired by Equinor in 2016, Bacalhau (formerly known as Carcará) is a project located in the Santos Basin pre-salt with a reservoir of excellent quality oil and associated gas, making it one of the greatest discoveries of oil of the last decade in Brazil.

Bacalhau Phase 1 is one of the largest investments in recent years for Equinor, approximately USD 8 billion. Our investments in the project demonstrate our commitment to Brazil and support our strategic ambition to further growth in the country as a relevant area for Equinor.

Equinor and its partners - ExxonMobil and Petrogal - started Phase 1 drilling campaign in 2022.

The field will have the largest FPSO ever seen in Brazil, with a capacity to produce up to 220,000 barrels/day.

Bacalhau will be the first asset to have a FPSO in Brazil which uses combined cycle gas turbines, significantly reducing our carbon emissions. By implementing this technology, we expect to reduce the average CO₂ intensity to less than 9kg per barrel of oil produced in the field.

BM-C-33, one of our main natural gas projects.
In block BM-C-33, located in the Campos Basin pre-salt, we had the discoveries of Pão de Açúcar, Gávea and Seat. The recoverable volumes of the BM-C-33 are more than one billion barrels of oil equivalent, making this one of the main natural gas projects under development in the country.

The block was acquired at the ANP auction held in 2005 and Equinor became the operator in 2016. The project has not yet taken investment decision and it is maturing towards that.

Together with its partners – Repsol, Sinopec and Petrobras – Equinor has approved in March 2021 the development concept for BM-C-33. Gas and oil/condensate will both be processed at the FPSO to sales specifications. Crude will be offloaded by shuttle tankers and shipped to markets after ship-to-ship transfer. The gas export solution is based on an integrated offshore gas pipeline from the FPSO to a new dedicated onshore gas receiving facility inside the Petrobras TECAB site at Cabiúnas, before connecting to the domestic gas transmission network.

Exploration

We have a diversified exploration portfolio in Brazil, with areas in the Campos and Santos basins. Our activity is aligned with our strategy to deepen our presence in Brazil, by accessing and testing high-quality business opportunities that can safely deliver on time, cost and lower carbon.

Over two decades of presence in Brazil, Equinor has established a solid growth base in the country, implementing innovative technologies and contributing to local development, with investments and job creation. Succeeding with digitalisation will be essential to future competitiveness by developing flexibility, operational efficiency and safety.

Along the two decades we’ve been in Brazil, we had put in place in our assets several innovative initiatives, focusing on reducing carbon emissions and optimizing safety and efficiency of projects and operations. We also have Bridge, a local open innovation program aiming to create connections with startups, small and medium-sized companies in the search for solutions to challenges of our day-to-day operations.

We have been building solid relationships with universities and researchers in the country as well. Our investments in research and development in Brazil are focused on the following areas: Subsea, Subsurface, Renewable Energy and Low Carbon portfolio.

We have a strong partnership with Unicamp (state university in São Paulo) and FAPESP (State Research Support Foundation), supporting and collaborating in research development at EPIC - Energy Production Innovation Center, located at Unicamp. In 2019, FAPESP and Equinor started the activities of the Research Center for Engineering in Reservoir Management and Oil and Gas Production. The EPIC portfolio is developed by Unicamp in partnership with Equinor.

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.

With the start of drilling and installation activities for Bacalhau field development (Santos Basin), new social mandatory projects have been started, including the Social Communication Project and the possible extension of PEA Foco to the municipalities surrounding Bacalhau activities.

Voluntary Projects

Initiatives that aim to create lasting local value and are implemented voluntarily.

Mar Atento Project, a project offered to fishermen enabling them to act safely in the event of offshore emergency response situations.

Trilha Empreendedora, a pilot project (in partnership with Junior Achievement) to include innovative educational disciplines into public schools of Rio de Janeiro, with support from eleven O&G companies.

Dream, work and learn, a mentoring program to support young people to enter the job market, assisting them in the development of professional and personal skills, guiding and supporting their choices, helping them to change their future and giving them the opportunity to achieve success.

Multiplying Energy, an initiative created by the Brazil volunteer team which promotes a number of actions throughout the year.

The company believes that, through education and culture, it creates lasting local value and helps develop a better-empowered society for generations to come.

Since 2018, Equinor has been sponsoring MAR (Rio Art Museum) as Master category, Galpão Aplauso project and Urece Goalball Institute. Through sponsorships, we contribute to increasing Brazilians' access to cultural and sports initiatives and venues.

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.