The PA-38 jack-up platform, contracted by Petrobras, has arrived in the Sergipe Basin, for well decommissioning activities in the Guaricema field, in shallow waters, approx. 9km from the coast. These operations are part of Petrobras' Facilities Decommissioning Program in Sergipe, which foresees investments of around US$ 1.7 billion in the region, within the horizon of the company's Strategic and Business Plan for the period 2025 to 2029.
With legs measuring almost 150 meters in height (equivalent to a 42-story skyscraper) and weighing 12,700 tons (equivalent to more than 12,000 popular cars), the self-elevating platform will perform intervention activities in oil and natural gas wells for their deactivation and capping. The initial campaign will last approximately seven months, with subsequent movement to other wells.
Photo: PA-38 jack-up platform. Credit: Petrobras
Commitment to safety and the environment
The decommissioning activities reflect Petrobras’ commitment to ensuring the safe and sustainable closure of its assets, meeting the industry’s most stringent environmental standards. 'Petrobras is advancing its decommissioning processes in the Sergipe Basin, a natural step for assets with more than 25 years of production in a mature industry such as Brazil’s oil and gas industry. All work is being conducted using the best techniques and in line with current regulations,' said Carlos Castilho, Petrobras’ general manager of Decommissioning Projects.
Decommissioning is a legal requirement for assets that have had their production permanently halted, and the implementation of these stages depends on approval and monitoring by the competent agencies, such as the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the Brazilian Navy and IBAMA. This is a necessary process within the production cycle of the oil and gas industry.
Petrobras is expected to decommission 26 production units in Sergipe, bringing opportunities to the industry and the local supply chain. The Sergipe Basin is the second with the largest volume of investments in decommissioning in the country, right after the Campos Basin, which occupies the first position. Petrobras' operational unit in the region, headquartered in Aracaju, is dedicated to decommissioning operations in the Sergipe-Alagoas, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará Basins.
Source: Petrobras
