A Petroarm (Petróleo Brasil) will build its first pilot plant for generating renewable hydrogen, which will be located at the Vale do Açu Thermoelectric Plant, in Alto do Rodrigues (RN).
The test plant, budgeted at R$90 million, is expected to start operating in the first quarter of 2026. The project will be built in partnership with Senai ISI-ER (Senai Institute of Innovation in Renewable Energy) and with WEG, a Brazilian electrification company.
Green hydrogen will be generated by the process of water electrolysis using solar energy. The electrolysis plant will be tested in different operating modes, taking advantage of the connection to the electricity distribution grid and the energy storage system already installed in the unit.
The photovoltaic plant, which was originally built for research and development purposes, will have its capacity increased from 1,1 MWp to 2,5 MWp, supplying the electrical demand of the 2 MW electrolysis pilot unit to be installed.
The hydrogen produced will be used for energy generation and in studies on its addition to natural gas, powering microturbines whose performance and structural integrity will be tested with the mixture of these two components.
According to the company, the PetroBras is the first Brazilian company to study the effects of adding renewable hydrogen to natural gas in microturbines.
Maurício Tolmasquim, Director of Energy Transition and Sustainability at PetroBras stated that the pilot project is fundamental to the company's strategy of investing in decarbonization.
“It is the first step towards future commercial initiatives in the sustainable hydrogen segment. The production of renewable hydrogen from water electrolysis using solar energy not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, but also promotes the use of abundant and sustainable natural resources in the country.”
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