en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Libra consortium has signed a contract with the Brazilian Electric Energy Research Center (Cepel) to jointly develop the Power Grid project, aiming to build an integrated power system for offshore oil and gas platforms. Led by Petrobras, the consortium operates the Mero Field (Campo de Mero) in the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin. The contract is expected to last two years, following previous research and development projects conducted between Petrobras' research center (Cenpes) and Cepel. This phase will involve technical and economic studies to achieve the electrical interconnection of up to five Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units.
The Mero Field is operated by Petrobras, with partners including Shell Brasil, TotalEnergies, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA), the latter representing the federal government in the Libra production sharing contract and adjacent areas. The Power Grid project aims to meet the consortium's needs by establishing an unprecedented technical foundation for evaluating new integrated power operation models in highly complex offshore environments.
The main objective of the project is to conduct a comprehensive technical and operational feasibility assessment of an interconnected offshore power system. This system would enable power sharing among up to five FPSO-type oil and gas production platforms, optimizing installed generation capacity, expanding demand through new equipment, and reducing fossil fuel consumption in offshore operations.
Currently, offshore platforms operate independently, primarily using gas turbines for self-generation. The Power Grid project's studies will analyze how submarine cable interconnection can more efficiently utilize available power among the five units, improve power system reliability, reduce operational costs, and create conditions for lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Alexandre Orth, Director General of Cepel, stated that interconnecting offshore production platforms with renewable energy sources such as wind and hydropower is a global trend to reduce emissions in the oil and gas industry. Leveraging its experience in developing and operating the National Interconnected Power System (SIN), Cepel can accelerate the adoption of this innovation in offshore environments, strengthening domestic engineering capabilities and enhancing the competitiveness of Brazil's oil and gas sector. He emphasized that with Cepel as an innovation pioneer, the industry will move toward an increasingly efficient and sustainable future through platform electrical interconnection.
The Power Grid project includes a series of comprehensive studies to be conducted over the contract period. These studies involve: defining interconnection scenarios and topologies, evaluating different layouts among the five platforms in the Mero Field; conducting complete electrical studies such as power flow, short circuit, electromechanical stability, and electromagnetic transient analysis, along with reliability analysis and system protection principles; performing equipment specification and sizing, including submarine cables and connection systems, considering long distances and harsh operating conditions in offshore environments; conducting greenhouse gas emission studies, comparing current independent operation with optimized interconnected scenarios; carrying out conceptual design of offshore grid management and control systems, assessing interactions between control systems of each platform; and conducting verification tests through a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environment, using Cepel's smart grid infrastructure to simulate operational events and control strategies in real time.
The project also establishes a replicable technical foundation that can be applied to other offshore operations in Brazil and abroad, such as future integration of these loads into the National Interconnected System (SIN). Vinícius Machado, Application Manager of the Libra consortium, stated that system electrification through platform interconnection is a significant step toward increasingly efficient and sustainable production. With Cepel as an innovation pioneer, the industry will be well-prepared to meet a market that values clean energy and reduced carbon footprints.
Founded in 1974 by companies within the AXIA Energy Group, Cepel is one of Brazil's leading research, development, and technological innovation institutions in the power sector. It serves as a national and international reference in areas such as energy planning, system modeling, renewable energy integration, asset management, operational control, and automation.
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