en.Wedoany.com Reported - Petrobras announced last Friday the official launch of the Brazilian Pre-Salt Technology Center (Centro Tecnológico para o Pré-sal Brasileiro, CTPB) at the Federal University of Itajubá (Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Unifei) in Minas Gerais. The center is a semi-industrial-scale process facility, reportedly one of the most modern of its kind and the only one capable of replicating the high-pressure, high-temperature, and high-CO₂ content operating conditions of Brazil's pre-salt reservoirs.

The construction of CTPB was funded by a R$300 million research and development investment from Petrobras and its Libra consortium partners—Shell Brasil, TotalEnergies, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)—stemming from Brazilian policy requirements to promote domestic research and innovation. Approximately 80 people attended the inauguration ceremony, including company executives, representatives of the Libra consortium, major suppliers, and delegates from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) and the federal government.

Renata Baruzzi, Petrobras' Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, stated that having a facility in Brazil capable of simulating the real conditions of pre-salt reservoirs directly reflects the company's commitment to innovation and national technological development. Marcel Parentoni, Rector of the Federal University of Itajubá, noted that the establishment of CTPB on campus realizes a plan to integrate science, technology, and institutional collaboration around Brazil's strategic challenges, strengthening the university's applied research focus and opening new frontiers for training high-level researchers and engineers.

The technology center is a strategic component in the development of the HISEP (High Pressure Subsea Separation System) project. Developed by Petrobras, HISEP enables separation at the seabed, reinjecting CO₂-rich gas into the reservoir, thereby increasing production, reducing carbon emissions, and improving operational efficiency in pre-salt fields. In 2023, Petrobras successfully tested the first dense-phase pump manufactured and tested in Brazil for subsea architecture, an achievement that earned the Libra consortium the ANP Technological Innovation Award in the Subsea Systems category. In the second half of 2026, CTPB plans to conduct the final qualification test for this pump. Sylvia Anjos, Petrobras' Director of Exploration and Production, emphasized that this is not only a technological milestone but also a concrete demonstration of the company and its Libra partners' commitment to investing in innovation, developing cutting-edge knowledge in Brazil, and transforming extreme challenges into transformative technological solutions.