“More than R$65 billion will be invested in decommissioning in Brazil by 2029, according to data from the National Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP). It is an agenda that demands planning, integration and, above all, a structured approach to safety and efficiency at every stage.”
This remark by Érik Cunha, OceanPact’s commercial and marketing director and head of its decommissioning area, was shared during the Workshop on Offshore Decommissioning, Commissioning, Operations and Logistics, held on March 31 by FGV Energy in Rio de Janeiro.
The event brought together experts to discuss challenges and opportunities in the oil, gas and power sectors, focusing on technical, industrial and logistical demands in Brazil.
Cunha highlighted the importance of the integrated Engineering, Preparation, Removal and Final Disposal (EPRD) model in decommissioning projects, as it enables a reduction in critical interfaces, greater operational control and stronger safety throughout the lifecycle, echoing points raised by ANP director Pietro Mendes.
OceanPact already uses an operating model with unified governance, integrating engineering, subsea operations, onshore logistics, navigation, environmental management and risk management.
This approach delivers efficiency gains and improved safety at all stages of each project, from design to final disposal, including initiatives focused on dismantling, recycling and the circular economy.
As this agenda expands, Brazil has the opportunity to consolidate itself as a global leader in offshore decommissioning and pioneer the reintegration of removed and recovered structures into the value chain, as in the case of flexible pipelines, whose useful life can be extended in this way.
Thus, according to Cunha, decommissioning should not be treated as commissioning in reverse, but rather as a complex engineering project marked by the need for solutions that are often unprecedented. It is precisely in this context that integration gains importance, leading to less fragmentation and risk, greater efficiency and an enhanced capacity for early response.