SUEZ Wins A Desalination Contract For 11 Oil Platforms Off The Brazilian Coast

Petrobras has chosen SUEZ to provide desalinated water to 11 offshore oil platforms in the Campos Basin in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The three-year contract worth 6 million euro will ensure the desalinated water needs of the offshore platforms.

The contract includes the provision and operation of seven mobile reverse osmosis¹ desalination units with a capacity of 90 m3 per day to supply water to the 11 offshore platforms. SUEZ will also provide operational and maintenance assistance for the units.

The mobile units were specially designed to meet the technical constraints inherent to sea water treatment in order to provide offshore platforms with freshwater using the proven reverse osmosis technology. The units will ensure a reliable supply of water to the platforms depending on their needs. With an adequate water supply in quality and quantity, Petrobras will ensure the long-term future of offshore oil drilling.

This first freshwater supply services contract for offshore oil platforms completes SUEZ’s offering for upstream oil & gas processes. In 2013 and 2014, SUEZ won the engineering and procurement contracts for nine water treatment units (five sulphate removal units and four sea water desalination units) to supply process water to five floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platforms of “pre-salt” oil reserve exploited by Petrobras off the Brazilian coast.

Ana Giros, Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ's Latin America Business Unit, stated: “This contract illustrates our ambition to become a key player in the services market for the upstream oil and gas sector. The SUEZ Brazil team developed an innovative mobile solution particularly well-suited to offshore drilling. We wish to continue supporting industries throughout the entire water cycle in complying with environmental standards, a strategy that will be further strengthened by the integration of GE Water within the Group.”

About SUEZ
We are in the era of the resource revolution. In a world facing high demographic growth, runaway urbanisation and the scarcity of natural resources, securing, optimising and renewing resources is essential for our future. SUEZ delivers wastewater treatment services to 58 million people and reuses 882 million m3 of wastewater. SUEZ also recovers 16.9 million tons of waste a year, produces 3.9 million tons of secondary raw materials and 7 TWh of local renewable energy. Finally, SUEZ avoids 9.5 MtCO2e GHG emissions for its customers. With 83,921 employees, SUEZ is present on five continents and is a key player in the circular economy for the sustainable management of resources. SUEZ generated total revenues of 15.3 billion euros in 2016.

¹ Reverse osmosis consists of passing water through semi-permeable membranes using pulse pressure. This process reduces seawater salinity by more than 98.5% and does not require the use of chemicals.