Visit at Petrobras, Wednesday 2011-03-02

On Wednesday 2th March the Swedish Production Academy visited PetroBras in Rio de Janeiro in the morning. Petrobras is a publicly traded corporation and the major stockholder is the Government of Brazil. They perform as an energy company in sectors: exploration and production, refining, oil and natural gas trade and transportation, petrochemicals, and derivates, electric energy and other renewable energy sources distribution.

Paloma Heringer from corporate communications presented Petrobras for us. Petrobras had a market value 2000 of 26 million US dollars and 2010 the market value was 237 million US dollars. Paloma explained for us that Petrobras have three key axes: Expanding the limits (exceed technical limitations), changing the mix (alternative fuels for vehicles) and sustainability. Of 1.629 people working at this R&D facility, 800 were researchers (48 % M.Sc , 27% B.Sc and 25% D.Sc.). According to Paloma, Petrobras have for every internal researcher 10 external researchers working for Petrobras and they are building up world class labs in Universities. Globally Petrobras has 77 000 employees. Working strategy for research are from lab to pilot plant and then to refineries. We visited a pilot plant with a typical capacity of 10g/h.

Petrobras also informed us about operations in the Pre-Salt. With the experience they have accumulated developing fields in deep waters; their technicians are now ready to develop the accumulations discovered in the Pre-Salt and the discoveries made in the Pre-Salt raise Petrobras to a new oil reserve and production level. The daily production of oil in the Pre-Salt areas should be as big as the other area 2020.


/Leif Svensson and Per Gabrielsson

 View from the new building over the old one.

Paloma Heringer from corporate communications presented Petrobras for us