Veolia’s advanced desalination technology to optimize offshore energy production for Petrobras

Veolia has secured a multi-million dollar contract to provide advanced seawater desalination solutions for two major FPSOs in Brazil's Santos Basin. The innovative water treatment technology addresses critical environmental and operational challenges while maximizing production efficiency. These advanced desalination systems play a key role in protecting reservoirs and flowlines, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of offshore oil and gas operations.

Veolia, through its Water Technologies & Solutions business unit, has secured a multi-million dollar contract from Seatrium to provide advanced seawater desalination solutions for two major floating production storage and offloading platforms (FPSO) in one of Brazil’s largest offshore developments. Located in the Santos Basin ‒ Brazil’s pre-salt reservoir and largest oil and gas offshore basin in the Western South Atlantic ‒ this project marks a significant step toward more efficient offshore energy production. The contract includes project engineering, procurement, equipment supply and installation.

The project, which will serve Petrobras’ P84 and P85 FPSOs, demonstrates how innovative water treatment technology can address critical environment and operational challenges in offshore energy production. Each platform will have the capacity to process 225,000 barrels of oil and 10 million cubic meters of gas daily, requiring sophisticated water management solutions to minimize environmental impact while maximizing production efficiency.

Oil and gas production relies on treated, desalinated seawater to be injected into reservoirs through sulphate removal units (SRU). At the heart of this innovative solution is a state-of-the-art SRU system for water injection production, featuring Veolia’s ZeeWeed™ Ultrafiltration and SWSR Series Nanofiltration membranes. These advanced systems will reliably process 1,960 cubic meters per hour of water per platform. By removing harmful sulphates and other ions, this technological solution protects reservoirs and flowlines while reducing the environmental footprint of injection operations and ensuring optimal performance.

Veolia’s technology not only enhances oil recovery but also plays a crucial role in preventing well souring and scale formation, thereby extending the life of the infrastructure. This approach aligns with the industry's push toward more responsible practices in offshore operations.

This contract demonstrates Veolia’s unique ability to balance local Brazilian capabilities and global expertise, meeting strict local content requirements while maintaining the highest quality standards. The company’s regional leadership ensures close collaboration with Seatrium, Petrobras and other local stakeholders while leveraging worldwide capabilities to deliver optimized solutions.

Anne Le Guennec, CEO of Water Technologies at Veolia, commented: “This strategic partnership with Seatrium exemplifies how our advanced desalination technologies can drive both operational excellence and environmental responsibility in offshore energy production. Through our innovative solutions, we're helping secure vital energy needs while minimizing environmental impact ‒ a perfect alignment with Veolia's Green Up strategic program. We are particularly proud to support Seatrium and Petrobras in the energy sector's journey toward more efficient and environmentally conscious operations.”

This latest collaboration represents the fifth contract between Veolia and Seatrium, with three projects successfully delivered in the past three years.

www.veolia.com