Water and efluents

The availability of water in sufficient quantity and quality is essential for our operations. We use water directly for our oil, gas, and products production and processing units; for steam generation, cooling, and human consumption, among other uses. Consequently, nearly all our activities generate domestic and industrial effluents, such as produced water.

Ancora Gestão de recursos hídricos e efluentes

Gestão de recursos hídricos e efluentes

Our water resources management has as its basic principle the constant search for the rationalization of water use, which allows both to guarantee the necessary supply for our activities, and to contribute to its conservation (quantity and quality) and availability in the areas of influence of our facilities. Thus, we seek the adoption of low-intensity water use technologies, the minimization of its use in operations and processes, and the reuse and the identification of alternative sources of supply, always considering the local water availability and the technicaleconomic and environmental feasibility of the activities.

Regarding the generated effluents, we seek to minimize discarded polluting substances, through segregation, treatment, and adequate discharge of streams, also observing aspects related to the assimilation capacity of the receiving water bodies and the technical-economic feasibility of the measures.

We are committed to water security, and in our Strategic Plan 2050 (PE 2050) and Business Plan 2025-2029 (PN 2025-29), one of our ESG drivers is to be “Water Positive” in areas of water criticality where we operate, through the reduction of freshwater withdrawal and the improvement of local water availability, contributing to water security. Thus, we have publicly committed to reducing our freshwater withdrawal by 40% by 2030, compared to 2021.

The Graph 4.1 shows our reduction trajectory over the past years.

³² The data includes the parent company and the subsidiaries Petrobras Biocombustível, Petrobras Bolivia, Petrobras Colombia Combustibles, Termomacaé, and Transpetro. Termomacaé, being a controlled thermoelectric plant, has its data consolidated separately. The other thermoelectric plants have their data consolidated as part of the Petrobras parent company.

Ancora Água como um recurso compartilhado

Água como um recurso compartilhado

We withdraw water from shallow sources (rivers, lakes, etc.), underground sources (phreatic or artesian wells), receive water from third parties (public utilities or other companies), and generate water produced when we extract oil and gas from their formations.

Effluents discharged in the environment are previously treated to meet the quality standards for discharge established in the environmental legislation. In 2024, we did not identify any significant quantitative or qualitative impacts on the sources where our effluents are discharged.

Ancora Uso de água doce e reúso

Uso de água doce e reúso

During 2024, we withdrew 112,141 megaliters of freshwater for our operational and office activities, 10% below our target* (maximum limit) of 124,400 megaliters.

A significant part of our investments in rationalizing the use of water has been directed towards developing reuse/ recycling projects. Among the benefits achieved, we obtained a reduction in our global needs for withdrawing “new water.”

The data includes the holding and the subsidiaries Petrobras Biocombustível, Petrobras Bolivia, Petrobras Colombia Combustibles, Termomacaé, and Transpetro. Termomacaé, being a controlled thermoelectric plant, has its data consolidated separately. The other thermoelectric plants have their data consolidated as part of Petrobras holding.

The presented freshwater withdrawal values do not include cooling water in open circuit (23,473 megaliters) and rainwater collection (705 megaliters). Regarding reuse: (a) Condensate recovered in thermal cycles and recirculated cooling water are not considered as reuse. (b) It includes produced water reinjected for secondary recovery in onshore fields.

* For the purposes of PLR specifically, the demand from thermoelectric plants is not accounted for due to its significant variability based on the needs of the National Interconnected Electric System. For 2024, the target (maximum limit) was 114,500 megaliters, and the volume extracted was 106,646 megaliters.