Equinor and USP Launch Research Project on Carbon Capture and Storage.

(Equinor) The CABRA project, with an investment of R$ 10 million, will study synergies between ethanol plants and basaltic formations in the Southeast Region.

Equinor, a global energy company present in Brazil for over 20 years, and the Greenhouse Gas Research and Innovation Center (RCGI) of the University of São Paulo (USP) announced, this Wednesday (November 5th), during the Summit Agenda SP + Verde — an event of the São Paulo State Government that was part of the program of the 8th edition of the Energy Transition Research & Innovation Conference (ETRI) — the CABRA project ( Carbon Storage in Brazilian Basalts). With investments of approximately R$ 10 million, the research, development and innovation initiative will evaluate the viability of basaltic formations as reservoirs for storing CO2 from bioethanol plants.

The project will focus on the basaltic formations of the Paraná Sedimentary Basin, where the bioethanol plants of the Southeast Region are concentrated . These igneous rocks, formed by the cooling of magma on the Earth's surface, have chemical characteristics that allow them to react rapidly with injected CO₂, transforming it into solid minerals.

In addition to geological characterization, engineering studies necessary for the execution of a possible pilot project will be carried out. The aim is to evaluate the injectivity capacity, storage volume, and mineralization time of CO₂ injected into the rock formations.

“Being able to count on the experience of an institution of excellence like USP to develop a project like CABRA fills us with pride. Equinor is one of the leading companies in carbon capture and storage internationally, and this is a first step in evaluating the possibilities of projects like this in Brazil. The initiative is part of Equinor's ambition to contribute to a low-carbon future, coupled with the development of society; this partnership is a concrete example of this,” says Andrea Achôa, Research, Development and Innovation Manager at Equinor Brazil.

“The CABRA project reinforces RCGI’s commitment to developing scientific solutions that contribute to the decarbonization of the Brazilian energy matrix. This initiative combines academic excellence with the experience of a global energy company, with the potential to generate knowledge and technologies of high impact for the country,” says Julio Meneghini, scientific director of RCGI – Center for Research and Innovation in Greenhouse Gases at USP.

Brazil holds a prominent position in bioenergy generation and has established itself as the world's largest producer of ethanol from sugarcane. Although it is a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, this production chain still emits CO₂ during its processing stages. Integrating bioethanol production with carbon capture and geological storage technologies could reverse this balance.

Experiences added

Equinor has nearly 30 years of successful CO₂ storage offshore Norway . The company is already one of the largest CCS operators in the world. USP, in turn, through RGCI, has extensive experience with carbon capture and storage technologies. Leading the research team is Professor Colombo Celso Gaeta Tassinari, from the Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE-USP), a national reference in geosciences and coordinator of studies on the potential of Brazilian basalts for the geological storage of CO₂.

Seeking the best through research.

In Brazil, Equinor has been building a diversified portfolio in the areas of Research, Development and Innovation. To date, the company has committed investments of approximately R$ 740 million with external partners for the development of R&D projects in the country. Currently, Equinor has around 40 ongoing projects involving petroleum technologies and low-carbon solutions.

About Equinor

Equinor is an international energy company committed to creating long-term value in a low-carbon future. In Brazil—an area of international strategic importance for the company—its growing portfolio includes assets in oil and gas (O&G) and renewable energy. In O&G, the company has projects under development, such as Raia, as well as assets in production, such as Bacalhau and Roncador. In renewables, the company has operating solar energy assets—the Apodi and Mendubim solar complexes—and the Serra da Babilônia hybrid complex, operated by Rio Energy, a leading onshore renewable energy company in the country, acquired by Equinor in 2023.

About RGCI-USP

The Greenhouse Gas Research and Innovation Center (RCGI) at USP is an Engineering Research Center, created in 2015, with funding from FAPESP and companies through resources foreseen in the R&D clause of oil and gas exploration and production contracts. Currently, there are approximately 60 active research projects (out of a historical total of 120), anchored in eight programs: Nature-Based Solution (NBS); Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU); Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS); Greenhouse Gases (GHG); Advocacy (Standardization, Regulation and Social Perception); Innovation Center in Energy Systems (InnovaPower); Decarbonization; and Center 2 Center (projects in direct collaboration with research centers in the United States). RCGI also has a research hub, Geostorage, dedicated to large-scale energy and CO2 storage. The center, which has around 800 researchers, maintains collaborations with several institutions, such as Oxford, Imperial College, Princeton, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). READ MORE