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Energy Efficiency

At a time when global warming and climate change are matters for concern worldwide, the improvement of energy efficiency is the most economical, the most effective, and the quickest solution to minimize the environmental impact brought about by the use of energy and to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. This is even more relevant for expanding companies. Aware of these implications, Petrobras, the largest energy producer and consumer in Brazil, is doing its part. In May the matter was discussed internally during the 2008 Petrobras International Seminar on Energy Efficiency held in Rio de Janeiro with the participation of UN representatives, members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and of the European Union as guest speakers. Besides, the company implements projects and initiatives in this area. The idea is to grow, which means a greater consumption of energy, but to make this consumption efficient, reducing waste and losses to the environment, thereby making Petrobras’ activities increasingly sustainable.

"Energy efficiency is an economical, efficient, and fast solution to mitigate climate change"

Improving energy efficiency also brings other advantages. It saves natural resources, such as oil and gas. It reduces production costs. It makes possible the production of more competitive and cheaper goods. It improves companies’ economic performance. It reduces the need to invest in energy infrastructure because it is cheaper to conserve than to generate energy. It means that more monetary resources can be invested in other projects. In addition, it assures the return on investments made, since the investments are recovered during the useful life of the equipment as a result of the energy economy achieved. “In this regard, considering that 86% of the energy presently consumed in the world is fossil fuel and non-renewable, increasing energy efficiency means, in effect, saving resources for future generations,” highlights the Petrobras executive manager for Energy Development, Mozart Schmitt de Queiroz.

Energy efficiency in directives

In the efforts in favor of energy efficiency, the Climate Change Strategic Project, coordinated by the Petrobras general manager of Health, Safety, and the Environment, Beatriz Espinosa, plays an important role in the area of corporate governance. “The project establishes that the mitigation of climate change should be an inherent component of Petrobras’ business ventures and its principles of sustainable development. Therefore, by means of the project, incorporated into the company’s 2020 Strategic Plan, Petrobras has created indicators, goals, and policies related to CO₂ emissions and energy efficiency and is implementing programs to reduce of the burning of gas in flares, to achieve energy efficiency in processes and products, and to develop new technology to optimize energy use. This done, it will be possible to achieve economic, energy, and environmental gains and to guarantee energy for the future,” says Espinosa.

Energy efficiency in programs and projects

The Technological Program for the Mitigation of Climate Change (PROCLIMA), coordinated by the Petrobras research and development center, CENPES, is another company initiative contributing to the cause of energy efficiency. “Our focus is fourfold: carbon capture, energy efficiency, evaluation of the environmental performance of Petrobras’ products throughout their life cycle with respect to their emissions of greenhouse gases, and the development of technologies and models to evaluate the impacts of climate change on the company’s business, the vulnerability of these business ventures, and the need to adapt. In the area of energy efficiency, our principal objective is the development of technologies which make possible the evaluation and control, in real time, of the quality of the energy generated and the losses sustained in all the Petrobras units. Initially, the project will evaluate the company’s thermoelectric plants and later, the refineries and offshore platforms. At the moment, a pilot project is in progress to define the advanced control parameters for energy efficiency and monitoring, and the analysis and optimization of energy use in the Governador Leonel Brizola Thermoelectric Plant. The pilot project will be concluded in December, 2008,” explains the PROCLIMA coordinator, Thais Murce.

The Energy Conservation Program (PCE) is another ally in the optimization of energy efficiency in Petrobras. In 2006, for example, it was responsible for the reduction of 180,000 tons of carbon gas emissions equivalent and an economy of 1.1 million kWh of energy and about 2,500 barrels of equivalent oil per day. Within the scope of this program, 40 Internal Energy Conservation Commissions (CICES) provide support to Petrobras’ business areas in the search for better energy efficiency indexes. They are also on the lookout for opportunities in each operational unit and office of the company to achieve better results.

“The commissions are in charge of preparing and implanting the Energy Conservation Program targets in each area or unit of the Petrobras System to which they are directed. They continually analyze the Petrobras energy consumption and the corresponding specific energy source, simultaneously evaluating the potential for the reduction of energy consumption or cost. They propose measures and projects to improve energy efficiency, as was the case of the installation of turbo expanders in the catalytic cracking units in the Petrobras refineries, so that the gas released during expansion could be used to generate electricity. With the support of the Energy Efficiency management of the Petrobras Gas and Energy area, they monitor energy efficiency projects already installed and report on their results. They contribute to the elaboration of the Petrobras Annual Energy Conservation Program. They participate in the purchasing process for the acquisition of goods and the construction of assets and they list those enterprises involved in energy consumption so as to include them in the company’s planning. In addition, they promote awareness in Petrobras’ employees regarding the importance of simple measures to economize energy, such as switching off lights and disconnecting the computer and printer on leaving the office,” explains the Petrobras manager of Energy Efficiency in the Gas and Energy area, Luis Tadeu Furlan.

Implementing the Gas Usage Optimization Plan (POAG) on 24 offshore platforms in the Campos Basin since 2001, the result of an investment of around US$ 300 million through the year 2007, is another initiative which has made it possible for Petrobras to increase its energy efficiency. The results are considered exemplary by the Global Gas Flaring Reduction, a public-private initiative headed by the World Bank. “In the past six years, the measures taken have improved Petrobras’ use of associated gas and reduced flare burning by approximately 3.5 million m³/per day on average. There has been a total reduction of 21 million tons of CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere. Contributing factors, among others, were improvements in the platform compression systems, the training of our labor force to perfect operational practices, the creation of an associated gas storage structure, and the construction of new subsea gas pipelines,” emphasizes Mauro Sant’Anna, manager of Natural Gas Production Planning of the Petrobras Exploration and Production area. By 2010, the picture will improve even more. New projects in progress should increase the efficient use of gas, from the current 86% to 92%.

"The Petrobras Gas Production Anticipation Plan reinforces the company’s efforts in favor of energy efficiency"

The Petrobras Gas Production Anticipation Plan (PLANGAS), by means of which the company plans to increase the supply of Brazilian gas to the Southeast regional market by about 40 million m³ by the end of 2008 and 55 million m³ by the end of 2010, will constitute an additional reinforcement to energy efficiency in Petrobras. After all, the plan foresees investments of approximately US$112 million in projects for the reduction of gas burning on operating platforms, which will provide more than 800,000 m³ per day for use and also forecasts a reduction of gas burning on new platforms. “We have made alterations in the gas export systems projects for our new platforms so as to avoid burning gas. In addition, in the construction phase of these platforms and of the facility modules, we will intensify the inspection of the progress of work in the shipyards, anticipate the installation of compression systems, and carry out more comprehensive tests with the objective of reducing the time between the beginning of the use of gas and the beginning of oil production. In this way, the burning will be reduced from the beginning of the process,” explains Sant’Anna.

Efficiency in buildings

Energy efficiency is also present in Petrobras’ buildings. An example is the new facilities in the expansion of CENPES, which incorporates the principles of sustainability, eco-friendliness, and energy efficiency starting with the initial conceptual phase of the project. Thanks to the careful work done, the installations qualified to compete for certification by Leadership in Energy and Design (LEED), an American classification system that evaluates sustainable projects. In architectural terms, the ideal location of the building on a site selected to take maximum advantage of wind and natural light, the protection of the exterior facades against the effects of direct sunlight using opaque panels and by theextension of the roof, plus the careful design of the windows and other openings in the structure reduces the energy requirements of the airconditioning system and the need to use artificial lighting. In any case, whenever the internal natural lighting is insufficient, artificial light can be gradually used in order to maintain the lighting standards required. And this is not all. “A gas-based co-generation energy system, with a final capacity of 15 megawatts, will provide most of the electricity required at CENPES and will ensure that the center is less dependent on the conventional electricity grid,” explains the Petrobras manager of the undertaking, Carlos Cesar de Oliveira.

"Energy efficiency is also present in Petrobras’ buildings"

In the new Petrobras installations in Vitoria, in the state of Espírito Santo, the building facades are fitted with insulated double glazing, with low heat absorption and heat transmission levels, to reduce the incidence of sunrays by 50%, thereby reducing the refrigeration needs. Translucent material fitted in the roof of the auditorium adjacent to the main building will also make unnecessary the intensive use of artificial light in the illumination of the first and second floors.

In the new Petrobras University building in Cidade Nova, Rio de Janeiro, in order to reduce the electric power consumption of the illumination systems, glass panels were fitted in the internal and external facades and a central atrium, topped by a 900 m² skylight, was constructed. As a result, natural light substitutes artificial light to a large extent. The air-conditioning system, which generally consumes 50 to 60% of a building’s energy needs, was also reduced thanks to the design of the building. The building’s glass installations ensure thermal insulation and, with the facades, direct heat upwards, thereby diminishing the need for refrigeration.

Investments in R&D

The investment in research and development aimed at achieving greater efficiency in the conversion processes and energy use in Petrobras is another ally in the search for energy efficiency. In Brazil, the fact that the nation’s legislation decrees that 0.5% of the revenue derived from the production of the giant fields should be reinvested in R&D is an additional incentive in the search for energy efficiency and for the constant improvement of the results achieved. This task falls to CENPES, which, in this context, acts in conjunction with the Energy Efficiency management of the Petrobras Gas and Energy area, generating patents in Brazil and abroad. Among the lines of research currently in progress, ecoefficiency in processes and products is worth mentioning as an example.

The propagation of knowledge

The dissemination of knowledge and of the company’s better practices complements these efforts. Available on the Petrobras Intranet site www.efficienciaenenergeticapetrobras.com.br are articles, videos, newsletters, Power Point presentations of talks given in seminars, rules and legislation regarding the subject, tips on economizing energy, and the Energy Efficiency Management Project (GPEE) system, which makes possible the recording of ideas and projects related to energy efficiency and the simulation of results after implementation. Also available are the electronic publications Energy Efficiency Bulletin, issued occasionally, and the Energy Efficiency Opportunity Guide, which contains relevant information on the subject and encourages good practices. Every two years, the Petrobras Energy Efficiency International Seminar is held, constituting an important source of knowledge exchange within Petrobras and with other institutions and entities. In addition, the Internal Energy Conservation Commissions release periodic reports on their activities, which are available for consultation by interested parties.

Internal training in energy efficiency, which includes a basic course and other specific courses on energy efficiency in electrical systems, thermal systems, and buildings, for example, adds to the efforts of Petrobras.

The use of alternative energy sources

Finally, the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind power, solar energy, and hydroelectric power is a parallel contribution since it substitutes energy generation from fossil resources, in addition to reducing CO₂ emissions and generating clean energy.

With regard to wind power, Petrobras maintains in Macau, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, a pilot wind power plant with three aerogenerators with a total installed potential of 1.8MW. Part of the energy generated by the unit supplies the needs of the Aratum I and II platforms. Another part is used for the pumping of oil in the onshore fields Macau A, Serra, and Soledade, all belonging to Petrobras. The substitution of diesel oil by renewable energy, made possible by the construction of the plant, entitled Petrobras to a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) register granted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This register is a prerequisite for Petrobras to obtain carbon credits which can be negotiated with companies in those countries with greenhouse gas emission reduction targets foreseen in the Kyoto Convention.

The use of renewable energy sources reduces the emissions of CO₂ and generates clean energy

Also thanks to the wind power unit in Macau, which generated 20.4 GWh of energy through 2007, Petrobras was awarded the 2007 National Rational Conservation and Use of Energy Prize in the “alternative energy” category. The award was given by the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Regarding solar energy, units of the Petrobras System, such as the REDUC, REGAP, RLAM, and RECAP refineries, as well as the FAFEN fertilizer plants in Bahia and Sergipe, use solar heating in showers previously heated by electricity and gas. In the Petrobras corporate headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, water in the dressing rooms is heated by thermo-solar energy. Thanks to 2,179.4 m² of solar panels, 125,000 liters of water are heated every day in the Petrobras System, 1.2 GWh of energy is economized, and the emission of 127 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere is prevented. The company’s thermo-solar energy program merited second place in the Petrobras Health, Safety, and the Environment Prize in 2008.

Concerning hydroelectric power, the company participates in 15 small hydroelectric plants (PCHs) and the energy to be produced is contracted for distribution through the National Interconnected System, that is, through the Brazilian hydrothermal electric energy production and distribution system. In these enterprises, 140 MW of the power produced belongs to Petrobras. In turn, for its own consumption, the company has commissioned the construction of the small hydroelectric plant Pira, in the state of Santa Catarina, with 16 MW of installed power. The forecast is that the plant will be in operation in 2010, generating 88 GWh of electricity per year. Concurrently, Petrobras will pursue other business opportunities in this area.

Whatever the case, the company is aware of the fact that every organization can be energy efficient, that every entity or citizen can economize energy, and that this posture helps to preserve natural resources, to prevent greenhouse gas emissions, and to guarantee energy for the future and a better future for the generations to come. Petrobras, convinced that it is on the right path while recognizing that there is still much to be done, is doing its part. By the way, everybody should be doing his.