The Single Federation of Petroleum Workers (FUP) sent President Lula and the President of Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, a proposal that provides for an increase in the level of national content in orders for Petrobras FPSOs. According to the union, the objective is to stimulate the development of the local chain of suppliers of goods, services and machinery and equipment. Currently, the local content index in tenders for Petrobras platforms is 25%, but this index has already reached 40% in the past.
“Although low, the percentage is not easy to fulfill due to the bidding model determined by the company in recent years, which, in practice, favored orders abroad”, commented the general coordinator of the FUP, Deyvid Bacelar. The trade unionist hopes that Petrobras from the Prates era reformulates the bidding rules. “The public notices follow single contract rules, and as the values are very high, around R$ 15 billion per platform (about US$ 3 billion), they exclude national companies from the competition, in favor of foreign conglomerates, with shipyards mainly in Asia”, he added.
The topic was even discussed in the transitional government, of which Bacelar and Prates were part. One of the alternatives defended is the division of contracts into different parts (hull, platform integration works, modules), aiming at adding competitors and, with that, expanding the presence of Brazilian suppliers.
Petrobras’ Strategic Plan for the period 2023/2027 provides for the implementation of 18 offshore platforms (FPSOs) in this period. “However, nothing indicates that there will be orders to the local industry. For this, the bidding models will have to be changed, in order to allow the greater participation of Brazilian shipyards”, pondered the FUP director. The union entity defends the revision of the Petrobras Plan, in order to reflect the company’s priorities in the current government.
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