Key Impact Points:
- Strategic Decarbonization: Petrobras’ $90 million renewable hydrogen pilot marks a major step in their sustainability and decarbonization strategy.
- Harnessing Solar Power: The plant will utilize water electrolysis powered by solar energy to produce clean hydrogen, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Energy Innovation: This project makes Petrobras the first Brazilian company to study blending renewable hydrogen with natural gas in microturbines.
Petrobras is investing R$ 90 million to build its first pilot plant for renewable hydrogen production. Slated to begin operations by early 2026, the plant will be housed at the Vale do Açu Thermoelectric Power Plant in Rio Grande do Norte. The project, a collaboration with the Senai Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energies (Senai ISI-ER), will be constructed by WEG, a Brazilian global leader in electrification.
The hydrogen will be produced using electrolysis of water, powered by solar energy. This process splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, offering a renewable pathway to clean energy. According to Maurício Tolmasquim, Petrobras’ Director of Energy Transition and Sustainability, this project is pivotal for the company’s decarbonization strategy:
“It is the first step towards future commercial initiatives in the sustainable hydrogen segment. The production of renewable hydrogen from the electrolysis of water using solar energy not only reduces the emission of greenhouse gases but also promotes the use of abundant and sustainable natural resources in the country.”
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The facility will be located at the Alto Rodrigues Photovoltaic Plant, which will see its capacity expanded from 1.1 MWp to 2.5 MWp to support the energy needs of the 2 MW electrolysis pilot unit. The plant will operate in various modes, leveraging connections to the electrical grid and the on-site energy storage system.
This project also positions Petrobras as a trailblazer in Brazil, as the first company to explore blending renewable hydrogen with natural gas. The hydrogen produced will be used for energy generation and for research into the use of hydrogen-natural gas mixtures in microturbines. These studies will assess the performance and structural integrity of turbines running on the new fuel mix.