The third and last event in a series of debates organized jointly by OceanPact and the Rio de Janeiro State Federation of Industry (Firjan), called “Understand, Respond and Innovate: The Energy Transition in the Offshore Ecosystem,” was held in person on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro and also broadcast online. This third meeting, titled “The Role of Innovation in the Offshore Energy Transition,” brought together prominent figures in the market to discuss innovation in the decarbonization of offshore activities. The participants presented initiatives that Brazilian organizations are planning in the areas of research, development and innovation in oil and gas operations.
The debate was moderated by Antonio Fidalgo, chief researcher at the Senai Institute for Innovation in Green Chemistry; and Leonardo Maciel, OceanPact’s innovation manager. The speakers were Alfredo Renault, superintendent of the National Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP); Anna Paula Lougon Duarte, innovation and research project manager at Schlumberger; Professor Emílio Lèbre La Rovere of the Energy Planning Program at Rio de Janeiro Federal University; Lucas Correa, market innovation, future fuels and decarbonization manager at Wärtsilä; and Marcelo Andreotti, R&D, business development and offshore oil and gas technology manager at Repsol Sinopec Brasil.
While giving his presentation, Alfredo Renault said that Brazil is going through a deep transformation in the innovation process and companies are using new formats for their activities, including cooperative projects and closer links between suppliers, universities and startups. He stressed that innovation is essential to boost productivity and average salaries. ANP is seeking to promote renewable energy, innovation and the decarbonization of production processes as it updates its oil sector regulations.
Cooperation between companies in the area of innovation was highlighted by the debate’s participants. Lucas Correa said that the climate crisis is the big problem that everyone is trying to solve, so he believes that co-creation and the involvement of the entire production chain are the key to success. “In Brazil, we will be able to have an offshore wind hub next to an exploration hub and a floating charging unit, where electric ships will be able to load up on power. The future will be flexible and we will have a variety of fuel options,” he said.
At the end of the debate, Karine Fragoso, Firjan’s oil, gas and shipbuilding manager, thanked the participants and OceanPact’s team for their partnership. Fernando Borensztein, OceanPact’s new business and sustainability director, said, “It was a great pleasure to work with Firjan on this project. We were able to hold three events, all about the energy transition in the maritime ecosystem. We talked about atmospheric emissions, decarbonization solutions and now about technological innovation and R&D. I believe we will soon jointly hold another series of meetings, given that these topics are part of our agenda.”
You can watch a recording of the event on OceanPact’s YouTube channel.