Hub aligns engineering and execution as more than 400 wells move toward closure by 2029

SLB has opened a Decommissioning Center of Excellence in Rio de Janeiro to support Brazil’s expanding offshore retirement activity and strengthen its decommissioning services portfolio.

Brazil is entering a large-scale decommissioning phase. According to Petrobras, approximately 420 wells and about 2,000 kilometers of subsea pipelines and flexible lines are expected to be decommissioned by 2029 as mature offshore fields reach the end of their productive lives. Petrobras has described Brazil as one of the world’s largest decommissioning markets, underscoring the scope and technical demands of the upcoming work.

The Rio-based center coordinates engineering, digital planning and offshore execution for multi-year retirement programs. It complements SLB’s established decommissioning center in Aberdeen, expanding coordinated capability across key offshore retirement markets. Offshore decommissioning requires permanent well plugging and abandonment using verified cement and mechanical barriers, removal of subsea trees and wellheads, and recovery or in-place decommissioning of flowlines, risers and umbilicals under approved environmental plans. Platforms may also be dismantled and transported for recycling or disposal.

At the center’s inauguration, SLB and Petrobras introduced ROBIN, an autonomous subsea well intervention system developed in collaboration between the two companies. Autonomous and remotely operated systems reduce personnel exposure, optimize vessel time and improve precision in well sealing and intervention operations.

SLB is working alongside SLB OneSubsea and Helix Energy Solutions, as well as a group of subsea and intervention partners, to align planning and offshore execution under an integrated model. Decommissioning extends SLB’s capability across the full asset lifecycle, from well construction and production through end-of-life retirement.

As offshore basins mature globally, decommissioning is becoming a durable segment of the services market. The North Sea and Gulf of Mexico have already undergone large retirement programs. Brazil’s cycle stands out for its scale and concentration, reinforcing the need for integrated technical capability across the energy lifecycle.