- Program for the RD&D seminar in Brazil (PDF-543.2 KB)
Samba rhythms in Norwegian petroleum research
Norway and Brazil are forging close ties in the field of petroleum research. A recent kick-off seminar in Rio laid the foundations for active collaboration, focusing primarily on safe drilling and the impacts of oil spills.
Barely three months after the Norwegian Government launched its new general strategy for Norway’s cooperation with Brazil, a number of joint projects between Norwegian and Brazilian petroleum research institutions are already well underway. Brazil is one of the most promising oil areas in the world, and continued strong growth is expected for many years to come. Brazil spends a lot of money on research and development in the petroleum area and is eager to collaborate more closely with Norway.
The Research Council of Norway held a conference in Brazil to promote increased research collaboration.
"The research world is global now, and Norwegian researchers must be where the action is. The oil sector is very important for Brazil and Norway alike, and it is useful for us to establish contacts in a country that has big plans for research and development in this area", says Siri Helle Friedemann, director of the Department for Petroleum Research in the Division for Energy, Resources and the Environment at the Research Council of Norway.
Arena Rio
The seminar in Rio de Janeiro on 26 May was opened by the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Moe and the Brazilian Secretary for Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Marco Antonio Almeida. The seminar brought together Brazilian and Norwegian authorities and research institutions to discuss safe drilling and well management, and modelling and impacts of oil spills.
"These are areas where Norway and Brazil have common interests, and where petroleum researchers can benefit from pooling their knowledge and experience", says programme coordinator Tarjei N. Malme of the Research Council's Large-scale Programme for Optimal Management of Petroleum Resources (PETROMAKS). The Brazilian oil company Petrobras is already involved in some of the PETROMAKS projects.
Statoil and a number of other Norwegian offshore suppliers have gained a firm footing on the Brazilian continental shelf. The same week that the research seminar was held, Statoil celebrated the opening of the Peregrino oil field in the presence of Crown Prince Haakon and Minister of Petroleum and Energy Ola Borten Moe.
Several Norwegian research teams have followed Norwegian industry's lead in terms of focusing on Brazil. The Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute (MARINTEK), which is part of the SINTEF group, has had an office in Rio De Janeiro for several years now, and the International Research Institute of Stavanger (IRIS) has just established an office in the city. Rio is the Brazilian oil capital.
Brazil represents a huge future market for Norwegian petroleum industry suppliers. All the parties involved firmly believe that the research collaboration will also enhance the opportunities for suppliers to the industry.
More research collaboration
"It is useful to make contacts in a country that will be doing a lot of petroleum research and development in the years to come", says Siri Helle Friedemann, director of the Research Council's Department for Petroleum Research.
Most of the participants at the seminar were from research institutes and universities in Brazil and Norway. The oil companies Statoil and Petrobras also took part. Petrobras' CENPES Research Center is a key player in international petroleum research.
Two other important Brazilian players are the Brazilian Innovation Agency FINEP and the Brazilian Petroleum Directorate ANP.
The seminar was arranged on the initiative of the Research Council of Norway, to support implementation of the Government's strategic plan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the research foundation SINTEF and the International Research Institute of Stavanger (IRIS).
"The short-term goal of the kick-off seminar was to establish joint research projects. The long-term goal is to build lasting research collaboration at the government level", says Friedemann.
One measure the Government is considering in its Brazil strategy is promoting closer collaboration between research institutions and industrial players that have common interests related to oil and gas. This kind of collaboration might include Norwegian authorities, the private sector, and public funding agencies – primarily the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and the Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners (INTSOK).
Technically demanding
Brazil is the world's fifth largest country in terms of both area and population. It has experienced rapid economic growth and is currently the world's eighth largest economy, with ambitions to be the world's fifth largest within a few years.
Brazil is currently the world's ninth largest oil producer and one of the fastest-growing oil provinces in the world, despite the fact that exploration and production of the resources are technically very demanding.
The hydrocarbons are often under thick salt layers at depths of several thousand metres. Much new technology has had to be developed: both seismics to find the resources, and drilling technology to explore them.
Several of the largest deposits discovered in recent decades have been in the Santos Basin. The Tupi field, for example, is estimated to contain about 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil, making this field one of the largest oil discoveries in the world in the past 30 years.
Major discoveries have been made in the Santos Basin south of Rio de Janeiro.
- Published:
- 01.06.2011
- Last updated:
- 01.06.2011
Attachments
Contact
- Siri Helle Friedemann Director (department) +47 22 03 72 52 shf@forskningsradet.no
- Tarjei Nødtvedt Malme Special Adviser + 47 22 03 74 64 tnm@forskningsradet.no
