Petrobras signed a memorandum of understanding with the State Government and the Federation of Industries of Espírito Santo (Findes), for studies of CCUS and low-carbon hydrogen projects.

One of the objectives is to assess the feasibility of implementing a CCUS HUB and facilities for the production of low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonize the state's industries.

The Vice-Governor of Espírito Santo, Ricardo Ferraço; the State Secretary of Environment and Water Resources, Felipe Rigoni Lopes; the President of Findes, Paulo Baraona; the Executive Manager of Energy Transition at Petrobras, William Nozaki; the General Manager of the Petrobras Business Unit in Espírito Santo, Eduarda Lacerda; and the Manager of Carbon Capture, Use and Storage, Cláudio Ziglio, participated in the signing.

"Petrobras is the company that captures the most CO2 in the world, with around 25% of the total last year. This experience qualifies us to design and build HUBs for CCUS, a key technology for achieving the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and thus contributing to tackling the climate crisis and promoting a fair energy transition. The protocol signed today is an important initiative for the company, which is evaluating other project opportunities throughout the country. We have reduced GHG emissions and identified synergies with the state of Espírito Santo,” said Nozaki.

Espírito Santo has important industrial sectors and Petrobras has infrastructure installed in the state that can be used for CCUS projects, in addition to having extensive geological knowledge of the region’s basin. There is an initial plan to install CO2 movement equipment in areas close to the Espírito Santo coast, as well as in the maritime portion to reach the storage reservoirs. Petrobras will be responsible for investing in pipelines, compression stations and wells for CO2 storage, and in the future for operating this Hub.

The state has the goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050, as detailed in the Decarbonization Plan launched in 2024.

For the Secretary of State for the Environment and Water Resources, Felipe Rigoni, the protocol signed with Petrobras represents a very important strategic milestone for sustainable development and a cleaner energy transition for Espírito Santo, in addition to leveraging projects and studies that make it possible to consolidate the state as a green industrial hub.

“It is essential that we build collaborative and safe pathways for the production of sustainable hydrogen and consolidate ideas and innovations for carbon capture, use and storage. And Espírito Santo has been building this workflow, with public policies to promote renewable energy, consolidating solid partnerships and creating economic opportunities. A commitment made by the State Government at the Climate Conference in Glasgow to promote development with net zero CO2 emissions by 2050”, explained the secretary.

"For Findes, being part of this initiative is extremely important, since it meets what the industry has been increasingly seeking: finding solutions that contribute to a low-carbon future and that strengthen the energy transition movement in our state and country. We believe that, based on this agreement, we will be able to jointly identify commercial opportunities and generate potential partnerships that are aligned with the strategies of diversifying the energy matrix and decarbonization. The industry has increasingly led this agenda and Findes is a great enthusiast and stimulator of the development of technologies and innovations that contribute to making businesses more efficient, productive and sustainable", highlighted Paulo Baraona, president of Findes.