Global motor manufacturer, WEG has been selected to deliver generators to several Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) ships in Brazil. Widely regarded as the future of offshore storage, the FPSOs will include eight gas turbine generators and a cohort over 60 medium voltage and low voltage motors manufactured and delivered by WEG.
The FPSO in development in Brazil will encompass two floating vessels for the production and processing of hydrocarbons in the Búzios and Mero oil fields. FPSO’s are today´s most common method used to produce offshore crude oil and natural gas in deep waters. There are currently about 200 FPSO vessels in operation worldwide, many of which are based in Brazil.
Unlike traditional methods of storage, FPSOs do not require a local pipeline infrastructure to export crude oil and gas. The option is growing in popularity in the industry. In fact, experts forecast more than 30 new FPSOs will be developed by 2023, with approximately half of these planned for Brazil.
As a Brazil-based manufacturer with other sites across the globe, WEG has been preparing to support the growing FPSO industry for several years. This included the acquisition of Electric Machinery, based in Minneapolis, USA. Forming WEG Electric Machinery, the acquisition added the 3600-rpm gas turbine generator to the WEG portfolio.
WEG Electric Machinery has now manufactured over 1,000 of these generators, representing over 20,000 MW of installed global capacity. Using this extensive knowhow, WEG has developed the ST20 2-pole (3600 rpm) generator for its product portfolio.
WEG’s participation for Buzios V FPSO — one of the aforementioned FPSO projects — includes the development of four new 40MVA 2-pole generators and four 36MVA 4-pole generators for the Mero 2 FPSO.
WEG has been developing generators of this type for several decades and currently has over 50 units in operation offshore. These generators will be manufactured at WEG’s Brazil headquarters, before being shipped to where the gas turbines will be packaged.
In addition to these eight gas turbine generators, WEG will supply over 60 medium voltage motors — as large as 13,000kW — and most of the low voltage motors for the two FPSOs.
“With a solid track record in delivering electrical equipment to FPSOs, WEG is very well positioned to serve our clients with competitive solutions, especially in the current market environment with the oil price hitting the lowest mark in decades,” explained Elder Stringari, International Director of WEG. “All this, with strict adherence to the most demanding international quality standards and delivering the market’s best offshore after-sales support in Brazil.”
