麻豆传媒

After nearly 15 years, Shell has reached the final investment decision (FID) for Gato do Mato 鈥� a major deep-water project in Brazil鈥檚 Santos Basin, around 200 kilometres off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil is Shell鈥檚 second-largest oil and gas producing country, making it a cornerstone of the company鈥檚 upstream operations. Gato do Mato 鈥� Portuguese for 鈥渨ild cat鈥� 鈥� strengthens that position, providing secure supplies of oil and gas. At its peak, the project is expected to produce close to 120,000 barrels of oil a day.

The journey to this investment decision has been anything but smooth. Regulatory hurdles initially stalled progress, and soaring costs forced a complete redesign. But through resilience and innovation, Shell has transformed Gato do Mato into a leaner, more efficient development that will help to support the world鈥檚 energy needs today and into the future.

For the engineers and project leaders who have spent years on this effort, the FID is more than just a green light 鈥� it is a testament to their ingenuity and persistence. But what does it take to design a vast and complex offshore facility like this? Three Shell colleagues, instrumental in securing the FID, share their insights.

From setbacks to smart solutions

Oil was first discovered at Gato do Mato in 2010, but early exploration revealed a fundamental problem: Shell鈥檚 initial oil and gas lease did not contain enough resources to justify development. Acquiring an adjacent block required a competitive bid, delaying the project for years.

Once the necessary leases were secured, Shell launched 鈥楪ato do Mato 2.0鈥�, only to face another setback in 2022. Global market volatility, driven by the Russia-Ukraine war and pandemic-related supply-chain disruptions, sent project costs soaring, forcing another reset.

鈥淚f Gato 2.0 had gone ahead, we may have had first oil this year, but the universe had different ideas,鈥� says Chris Wibner, who joined the project in 2018. 鈥淭he team stayed resilient 鈥� controlling what we could, adapting, and continuing to move forward.鈥�

With Gato do Mato 3.0, Shell has reengineered the project with a sharp focus on efficiency. Joseph Hajj, Shell鈥檚 general manager for deep-water greenfield development, who joined the Gato do Mato team in 2022, explains their disciplined approach.

鈥淭he whole idea with Gato do Mato 3.0 was to fail fast,鈥� says Joseph. 鈥淭hat was the mindset. We did not want to spend five years and millions of dollars just to come back later and say it does not work. We decided to make sure we uncovered any showstoppers as quickly as possible.鈥�

A significant improvement is the redesigned floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit. By eliminating unnecessary equipment and rethinking the design, Shell has reduced the weight of the topside 鈥� which houses processing and power equipment 鈥� by 30%.

鈥淭he new design is very different from Gato 2.0, which was extremely complex 鈥� almost like a refinery at sea,鈥� says Yohanna Assump莽茫o, engineering manager at Shell Brazil. 鈥淲e removed excess equipment and found alternatives where we could. For example, rather than using heavy equipment on the topside to measure the production rate of each well, that measurement is done on the seabed.鈥�

Another key efficiency gain comes from the power system. The team has opted for a hybrid electric and gas-powered system, with six small turbines instead of four large ones, to power the FPSO and gas compression system. This reduces weight and provides greater flexibility.

As a result of these changes, the greenhouse gas intensity of Gato 3.0 is 20% lower than the previous design. Shell will ensure steady oil production while keeping flaring below 0.5% 鈥� significantly lower than Brazil鈥檚 industry standard 鈥� aligning with Shell鈥檚 goals to reduce emissions from oil and gas production.

A new approach to collaboration

Another key shift in Gato do Mato鈥檚 reinvention was Shell鈥檚 approach to working with vendors. Rather than following a traditional contracting model, Shell engaged early with Modec, its FPSO contractor, to co-design the unit.

鈥淚nstead of simply handing them a plan, we worked as a single team,鈥� Yohanna explains. 鈥淢odec brought deep experience 鈥� it already operates 14 FPSOs in Brazil 鈥� while we introduced fresh thinking from projects like Vito and Whale in the Gulf of America.鈥�

The collaboration paid off. Together, Shell and Modec increased total production capacity by 20% compared with Gato 2.0, while cutting overall project costs by nearly 16%.

The result is a highly-efficient FPSO design that could serve as a template for future deep-water developments in Brazil or elsewhere in the world, and enable the development of smaller oil and gas fields in the future.

鈥淲hat made this partnership successful was our shared goal of solving an industry challenge,鈥� says Joseph. 鈥淢odec had been building massive FPSOs for giant fields, but they saw this smaller field as an opportunity 鈥� not just to work with Shell, but to help unlock a whole new market.鈥�

Strengthening Shell鈥檚 future in Brazil

Operated by Shell Brazil (50%) in partnership with Ecopetrol (30%), Total (20%) and Pr茅-Sal Petr贸leo S.A. (PPSA) acting as the manager of the production sharing contract, the project now moves into the execution phase. Over the next few years, Shell teams will work with Modec engineers in Malaysia to bring the project to life. The FPSO will be constructed in China and Japan before being installed in Brazil in 2028.

For Chris Wibner, this project is deeply personal. His first Shell project in 2007 was the BC-10 FPSO Esp铆rito Santo, which is expected to be decommissioned by the end of the decade. Gato do Mato ensures Shell鈥檚 deep-water presence in Brazil for at least another 20 years.

鈥淲e are building the next unit to replace the one I first delivered,鈥� Chris reflects. 鈥淭his project will keep our operations going for decades to come.鈥�