Petrobras has signed agreement with the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro for the joint evaluation of the implementation of pilot projects for a CO2 capture and storage hub (CCUS) in Rio de Janeiro at COP-28 in Dubai. The agreement also includes the analysis of decarbonization solutions combined with CCUS, such as low-carbon hydrogen.

The company had already announced in May this year that it is studying the development of a pilot CCUS project in the north of Rio de Janeiro with the capacity to store 100,000 tons of CO2 per year.

The pilot project under study will use a CO2 stream separated at the Cabiúnas Gas Treatment Unit (UTG-CAB), located in the municipality of Macaé. This stream will be treated and moved through a pipeline to the Barra do Furado Station, located in the municipality of Quissamã. It will then be injected and stored permanently in a saline reservoir. The knowledge gained from this pilot will be crucial for the future implementation of the definitive, large-scale CCUS hub, also planned for the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The initial estimate is that the Rio de Janeiro CCUS hub, when implemented, could help avoid emissions generated not only by Petrobras' operations, but also by other segments such as the cement industry and steel mills in Rio de Janeiro, among others.

The state of Rio de Janeiro was chosen to host the CCUS hub pilot project due to the infrastructure already installed by Petrobras in the state and the technical knowledge accumulated by the company in its exploration and production (E&P) operations, as well as the potential for capturing industrial emissions from third parties.