ABB to deliver electrical system automation for one of Petrobras’ largest FPSOs offshore Brazil
(WO) – ABB has won a large order from Sembcorp Marine Ltd to deliver the complete electrical system automation for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility for Brazilian oil and gas producer Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras).
The P-82 FPSO will be one of the largest vessels to be deployed in the Búzios field, an ultra-deepwater oil and gas field covering an area of 853 square kilometers in the Santos Basin, around 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
ABB is supplying both the topside and hullside electrical systems for P-82, providing seamless project integration. The topside systems will be installed in an ABB eHouse solution – a prefabricated, modular substation that reduces costs, risk exposure and on-site work because all components are wired, tested and commissioned before shipment to the yard.
Once operational, the facility – which receives fluids from a subsea reservoir before separating them into crude oil, natural gas and water within topside facilities onboard – will have the capacity to produce 225,000 bopd and process 12 MMcm of gas per day.
“This project aligns with our own commitment to reduce the emissions footprint of existing hydrocarbon infrastructures as we balance the needs of the energy transition with rising consumption demands, especially in developing economies,” said Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries.
Petrobras plans to deploy 18 FPSO vessels offshore Brazil in the next four years – making up nearly half of all global FPSOs. These new-generation vessels, of which P-82 is one of the first, will be characterized by high production capability and emission-reduction solutions, such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). Collectively, these vessels are expected to have the production capacity of approximately 2.8 MMbpd.
A report by ABB in 2022 revealed how the implementation of electrification, automation and digital technologies that enable a move to minimally crewed operations in FPSOs could reduce carbon emissions by up to 320,000 tons per site per annum – the equivalent of taking up to 160,000 passenger cars off the road.
