New pipeline milestone for natural gas project in Brazilian waters

Norwegian energy giant Equinor has tucked a new steel pipe production milestone under its belt for its upcoming natural gas project off the coast of Brazil.

Equinor marked the occasion by hosting a celebration at Confab, Tenaris’ welded mill in Brazil’s Pindamonhangaba to commemorate the completion of steel pipe production for the Raia project. With over 99% of the pipeline’s steel sourced domestically, the project is interpreted to support the development of the local industry while creating up to 50,000 jobs over its lifecycle.

The Raia project encompasses the construction of a 200-kilometer subsea gas pipeline that will link a next-generation floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) in the Campos Basin to the gas network at the Cabiúnas terminal in Macaé. Tenaris explains that the pipes and coatings for the Raia pipeline, totaling 83,000 tons, were manufactured in Confab under its integrated One Line service.

The company further added that the pipes for the deepest sections of the pipeline incorporated advanced collapse-resistant designs, capable of withstanding water depths of up to 2,900 meters. The coating service is said to entail internal coating to enhance gas flow, external anti-corrosion protection, and concrete layers for negative buoyancy and mechanical protection.

With an investment of $9 billion and recoverable reserves exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent, the project is estimated to have the capacity to supply up to 16 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, meeting 15% of Brazil’s natural gas demand. Tenaris believes this to be one of the most significant offshore energy developments in Brazil to date.

Renato Catallini, President of Tenaris in Brazil, commented: “Delivering a project of this scale requires exceptional collaboration and technical expertise. We are proud to support Equinor and its partners with our advanced pipe solutions, enabling the Raia pipeline to meet the highest performance standards.”

Equinor submitted the declarations of commerciality and plans of development for two natural gas fields, Raia Manta and Raia Pintada, in the BM-C-33 concession in September 2023 to Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP).

Saipem’s pipe-laying vessel, Castorone, will work on bringing this project to life. The start-up of what is expected to be Brazil’s first project to treat gas offshore and be connected to the national grid without further onshore processing is anticipated in 2028.

Equinor, as the operator, holds a 35% stake in the project while Repsol Sinopec Brasil and Petrobras hold 35% and 30% interest, respectively. MODEC is in charge of building a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit for the project. The Norwegian heavyweight also recently hired the Valaris DS-17 drillship for drilling work.

Aside from Raia, the energy player is developing the Bacalhau project in the South American country. MODEC’s FPSO Bacalhau, destined to work in the field, recently received DNV’s approval in principle (AiP) for Abate notation.