Petrobras will build its first pilot plant for generating renewable hydrogen at the Vale do Acu Thermoelectric Plant, in Alto do Rodrigues, Rio Grande do Norte. The project, with a total budget of R$90 million and carried out in cooperation with the Senai Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energy (Senai ISI-ER), will be carried out by WEG, a Brazilian company that is a global leader in electrification. The test plant is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2026.
Renewable hydrogen will be generated through the process of water electrolysis using solar energy, which consists of breaking down water molecules using an electric current, separating hydrogen and oxygen.
According to Petrobras' director of Energy Transition and Sustainability, Maurício Tolmasquim, this is a fundamental pilot project in the company's strategy of investing in decarbonization. "This 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."
The Alto Rodrigues Photovoltaic Plant, which was originally built for research and development purposes, will have its production capacity increased from 1.1 MWp (Megawatt peak) to 2.5 MWp, supplying the electrical demand of the 2 MW electrolysis pilot unit to be installed. 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 hydrogen produced will be used for power generation and in studies on the addition of natural gas, feeding microturbines whose performance and structural integrity will be tested with the mixture of these two components. It is worth mentioning that Petrobras is the first Brazilian company to study the effects of adding renewable hydrogen to natural gas in microturbines.