Brazil roundup: Acelen's green investments, FPSO hull contracts, fertilizer and more

Solar, biofuel investments 

Acelen, which operates the Mataripe refinery in Bahia state, has formed a joint venture with Perfin Infra Administração de Recursos and Illian Energias Renováveis to invest in a solar energy project. 

As well as meeting its own demand for electricity, with this venture the company is also making progress towards its decarbonization targets. The solar complex is expected to start operating in the third quarter of 2025.  

The project, which will have an installed capacity of 161MW and requires an investment of 530mn reais (US$98mn), is part of the federal government's growth acceleration program (PAC). 

Of the total capex, 419mn reais will be financed by development bank BNDES in the form of non-recourse project finance in US dollars. 

Meanwhile, Acelen is investing in the technological development of macauba palm trees for the production of renewable aviation fuel (SAF), green diesel (HVO), thermal energy and other high added-value co-products. 

With an investment of 13.7mn reais, the project is being carried out in partnership with Embrapii and Embrapa.

Distributed generation

Helexia Brasil (Voltalia) has raised 240mn reais in commercial notes, coordinated by Itaú BBA. 

The funds will be used by the company to implement 13 distributed generation projects with a total capacity of 51MWp and located in the states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Goiás, São Paulo and Bahia.  

FPSO hull contracts

China’s CIMC Raffles has secured engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts with Seatrium to deliver the hulls for the P-84 and P-85 FPSOs. 

The production units will be installed in the Atapu and Sépia fields in the Santos basin pre-salt. 

Cleaner bunker 

Petrobras obtained authorization from oil and gas watchdog ANP to sell marine fuel with renewable content. The company is the first in the country to receive authorization to deliver a bunker with 24% biodiesel to the market.

The very low sulfur (VLS) B24, produced by Petrobras, is the result of mixing mineral bunker with biodiesel certified by ISCC EU RED, one of the most traditional certifications on the market, applicable to traceability and calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from sustainable raw materials and bioproducts.

Fertilizer deal

Petrobras has signed a master agreement with Yara Brasil Fertilizantes as the next step in negotiations to structure a potential business partnership in the fertilizer segment, production of industrial products and decarbonization of production. 

Gas infra deal 

3R Petroleum has signed an MOU with Petroreconcavo to evaluate sharing infrastructure for the flow, compression, measurement and processing of natural gas in the Potiguar basin, with an exclusivity period of 90 days.

Gas supply

Edge, a Cosan company, won two public calls for supply contracts with Companhia de Gás de Santa Catarina (SCGÁS), Santa Catarina state’s piped gas distributor. 

The supply deadline is July, and deliveries have already begun. The total volume for the period is 2Mm3.

Offshore drone

Omni Táxi Aéreo carried out the first offshore cargo transport using an unmanned aircraft in Brazil for Petrobras.

The operation covered a distance of 198km between Petrobras’ Imbetiba base in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro state, and the P-51 offshore platform, which operates in the Marlim Sul field.

Onshore contract 

Vallourec has signed a contract with Eneva to supply more than 4,000t of casing and production pipes for onshore natural gas production. 

The high-performance pipes, made from low-carbon steel, will be used for exploration and production operations in the states of Maranhão, Amazonas and Mato Grosso do Sul.

Oil tender

Pré-Sal Petróleo (PPSA) has updated its forecast for the volumes that will be offered in its next auction, scheduled for July 31. 

Only the volumes of the Mero field for 2025 have been changed. There are no changes to the Búzios field lot.

In total, the estimate is now 37.5Mb (million barrels) of oil, compared with the initial forecast of 33Mb.