GE Oil & Gas Awarded $50M in Subsea Equipment Orders by Petrobras for Brazil Deepwater Projects
Further expanding its technology presence in Brazil’s deepwater exploration and production sector, GE Oil & Gas has received two contracts with a combined value of more than $50 million to supply a total of 171 subsea wellhead and installation tooling systems to Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), one of the largest integrated companies in Latin America that also controls significant oil and energy assets in 18 countries worldwide. The equipment will be deployed in Petrobras’ Campos and Santos basins projects offshore Brazil. The new contract awards were negotiated as part of GE’s ongoing three-year frame agreement with Petrobras for the supply of subsea wellhead systems. Under the first contract, GE will supply 40x MS-700 and 16x MS-800 subsea wellhead systems, scheduled for delivery between June 2011 and June 2012. Under the second award, GE will supply 80x MS-700 and 35x MS-800 subsea wellhead tooling systems, scheduled for delivery between September 2011 and November 2012. The equipment will be manufactured at GE Oil & Gas’ Jandira facility in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Sam Aquillano, vice president—drilling & production, GE Oil & Gas said, “We are delighted to again be selected by Petrobras to supply mission-critical subsea wellhead systems to support the company’s deepwater production projects. Our ability to deliver reliable technology and a responsive, solutions-based approach across our localized engineering, manufacturing, sourcing and sales team were critical factors in securing these important orders. GE is an established player in Brazil and we are committed to strengthening our offering to Petrobras and other customers in the region through the expansion of our Jandira, Sao Paolo, facility and the opening in 2012 of a $100 million investment GE Global Research Center in Rio de Janeiro.”
With more than 1,200 subsea wellhead systems installed in Brazilian waters, GE Oil & Gas’ technology is instrumental to the development of deepwater projects in the region. GE’s MS-700 and MS-800 subsea wellhead systems are field-proven drilling systems that feature increased operating efficiency. The MS-800 is designed to help operators reach deepwater targets in key regions such as Brazil, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and Asia. The system's increased casing load capacity allows operators to run longer strings, enabling larger diameter holes to go deeper, reaching pay zones with bigger production strings.
The MS-800 subsea wellhead system builds on the field-proven design of the MS-700, both with sealing technology and with the running and testing tools. The industry's first all-metal sealing wellhead system, the MS-700 has been proven in nearly 20 years of operation and has been able to meet some of the industry's most demanding requirements for high-pressure, critical service, deepwater drilling and production.
