Environmental
9 minute read
Accident prevention and management
Accident prevention and management correspond to the set of strategies, plans and management practices adopted by the company to promote the safe operation of assets and maintain the readiness of emergency response systems to mitigate impacts on human life, the environment, infrastructure, and reputation. It includes the ability to perform integrated work with public authorities, partners, the community, and other actors in emergencies, such as response actions for leaks at sea to prevent them from reaching the coast or any sensitive areas.
With this, we constantly seek to improve the integrity and reliability of our facilities and improve our processes, with our ambition being to achieve Zero Fatalities and Leaks, as disclosed in our Strategic Plan 2023–2027 (SP 2023-27).
Among the main initiatives for accident prevention, we can highlight:
- Mar Azul Program: which seeks to prevent containment losses in E&P offshore operations, incorporating lessons learned from prior events;
- Dynamic Management of Process Safety Barriers Project: a technological solution aimed at monitoring the situation of process safety barriers in an integrated, dynamic, and real-time manner, helping decision-making based on risk analysis.
Oil and oil product spills
We invest in the continuous improvement of the integrity and reliability of the facilities, in the improvement of our processes, and in operational practices that allowed us, in 2021, to achieve the best performance in the history of the indicator related to the leaked volume of oil and oil products (11.6 m³). In 2022, we register a leaked volume of 218.03 m³, which despite keeping the company in the first quartile of the industry in the historical series of five years, surpassed the alert limit of 120 m³ established for the year, with the decisive influence of a single event, which was immediately responded to by a thorough investigation of the root causes, comprehensive actions for all units, review of operating procedures and reinforcement of preventive measures in our management system.
LEAKED VOLUME OF OIL AND OIL PRODUCTS - VAZO [1] (consolidated)
Description |
2022 |
Total number of leaks above 1 bbl |
9 |
Total volume of leaks above 1 bbl |
218.03 m3 |
Alert Limit (LMA) |
120 m3 |
2022 Performance in relation to the LMA |
81.7% above LMA |
Average volume leaked by other oil and gas companies in 2021 [2] |
937 m3 |
[1] The volumes of oil and oil product leaked related to our operation are computed (not including clandestine derivations) from all occurrences that individually account for a volume leaked above one barrel (0.159m3) and that have reached water bodies or non-waterproofed soil. A total 218.03 m³ is equivalent to 1,371 barrels. This data includes the Petrobras Parent Company, LIBRA, PEB E PIB- COL and Transpetro.
[2] Peer group average: data on leaked volumes resulting from operations, extracted from sustainability reports or similar documents published by companies that make up our peer group for 2021. Until the closing of this report, all data for 2022 had not been released.
The use of technology in operations security
Throughout 2022, the Safety Innovation Lab, located at Cenpes, developed technological innovations focused on products that contributed to our ambition to zero fatalities and other HSE impacts. The laboratory seeks to implement solutions that are developed and tested quickly, in controlled and representative environments, to prevent and mitigate risks through active monitoring of workers and the workspace. To do this, we apply technologies such as wearables, intelligent video analytics, robotics, and drones to reduce human exposure to risk.
The main deliverables include:
- Implementation of artificial intelligence to detect oil spills;
- Industrial test and validation of a firefighting robot;
- Pilot test to evaluate biomarkers for physical and mental health in 304 people;
- Implementation of systems to monitor field tasks through intelligent video analysis, with a focus on safety in 11 units; and
- Proof of concept and deployment of drones for confined space in gas spheres.
Asset integrity management
In 2022, we made 61 maintenance stops of thermoelectric assets, 170 natural gas assets, and 90 refining assets. At Petrobras Biocombustível, 3 total maintenance stops were carried out at the biodiesel plants and 18 partial ones. In addition, at our exploration and production assets, we totally shut down 45 platforms and 4 onshore production facilities.
In 2023, we plan to carry out 36 full maintenance shut downs on platforms, 82 thermoelectric plants, 182 natural gas assets, 137 refining assets, and 18 at Petrobras Biocombustível, of which 14 are partial and one is a full shut down.
Combating clandestine diversion
Our integration with Transpetro was further strengthened in actions to combat fuel theft in pipelines, also known as clandestine diversion.
Aiming at greater effectiveness in the fight against clandestine diversions, we strengthened ties with the communities neighboring the pipeline ranges with the expansion of social and awareness projects. We also invested in the improvement of technological solutions and strengthened relationships with public safety bodies.
These actions allowed, throughout 2022, a drop from 102 to 58 occurrences of clandestine diversions compared to last year, which represents a 43% reduction. When comparing this to the historical high in 2018 with 261 occurrences, we reduced fuel theft by 78%.
We also reduced the incidence of theft in urban areas, which minimized risks for the population and reduced the volume of products stolen, which was approximately 50% lower when compared to the previous year.
Process safety
EVOLUTION OF NASP TIER 1 E NASP TIER 2 INDICATORS [1] (consolidated)
[1] Data includes Petrobras S.A., Transpetro, TermoMacaé and TermoBahia
Read the chapter in its entirety
© Copyright Petrobras 2022. All rights reserved.