The economic activities of multinational corporations (MNCs) in the extractive industries of developing countries produce a myriad of immediate negative social, economic and environmental impacts on communities hosting their operations. Consequently, stakeholders have increasingly called for (greater) accountability of these corporations for the impacts of their operations on stakeholders and the wider society. The extent to which these MNCs are accountable for their operations' negative environmental impacts in the developing countries is underexplored as prior studies have primarily focused on corporate social responsibility rather than accountability of these corporations. However, accountability apparently means different things to different parties, and especially in a non-Western context. This thesis primarily seeks to explore the concept of accountability in a developing country context and how it is understood and practised within the Nigerian oil industry. More specifically, it seeks to understand the extent to which oil MNCs in Nigeria discharge accountability in the context of gas flaring and oil spills environmental pollution emanating from their operations. The study utilises a mixed methods approach to generate data to provide understanding on stakeholders' conceptions of accountability, the nature of accounts constructed by the MNCs on gas flaring and oil spills environmental incidents, and the plausible corporate sense-making embedded within those accounts. The empirical data produce both general and nuanced conceptions of accountability between the MNCs and stakeholders. An account-giving heuristic highlights four broad and further nuanced accounts the corporations provide on these negative environmental incidents which are largely in conflict with stakeholders' narratives. Moreover, the sense-making analysis of the MNCs' accounts suggests that those accounts apparently serve corporate self-interest rather than the discharge of accountability. However, organisational, institutional, relational, and national contextual factors apparently encourage the un-accountability of the MNCs. Accountability in the Nigerian oil industry will remain elusive without critical institutional and regulatory reforms.

My dissertation consists of three distinct but related chapters on Energy Economics and Finance. My first chapter is an empirical evaluation of market conduct in global crude oil markets. "Hotelling rule" states that even in competitive equilibrium, price of an "exhaustible resource" exceeds its marginal cost due to the opportunity cost of depleting the non-renewable resource. This cost is called "scarcity rent". Oil price exceeds its marginal extraction cost significantly. This can be attributed to two different sources: effect of scarcity of oil on prices or exercising market power by OPEC (collusion). In this paper, I use Porter (1983) approach considering the possibility of "scarcity rent" component involved in the gap between price and marginal extraction cost in the oil market. The novelty of my approach is to empirically estimate scarcity rent using data on cost of production of oil. Two benchmark cases, where scarcity rent is either zero (non-exhaustible resources hypothesis (Adelman 1990)) or equal to minimum price-cost margin are considered. The results show that in both cases OPEC failed to cooperate effectively and in second case, market conduct estimated is closer to Cournot behavior. In the second chapter of my dissertation, we employ a real options approach to evaluate oil and gas companies' investment decisions in an empirical setup. We develop a theoretical model to derive testable predictions. A unique measure of investment costs is obtained from energy industry data vendors. This novel dataset contains details of contract terms and pricing for offshore drilling equipment, which constitute the major share of investment costs in offshore oil field development. The investment database is combined with financial and macroeconomic data, which enables us to perform a panel data analysis of investments' response to variations in investment costs and market variables such as the slope of futures curve, firms' past earnings, cost of capital and implied oil price volatility. Our results show that the larger firms, facing less financial friction, are more forward looking while the smaller firms, who have less access to capital markets, are more dependent on their past earnings. The third chapter of my dissertation is about the effect of recent natural gas production boom on U.S. manufacturing. Natural gas production in North America has increased significantly over the past decade causing the prices to plunge during past 5 years. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of low natural gas prices on energy intensive U.S. manufacturing industries using market data. I empirically evaluate the stock market reactions of publicly traded companies in energy intensive industries to arrival of new information about the unexpected price shocks in natural gas futures markets. My results show that the stock market does not react significantly to innovations in the expected price of natural gas, proxied for by monthly changes in natural gas futures contracts with a fixed maturity date. I then split the sample into two groups based on their expenditure on natural gas as a ratio of their total production value. The stock market valuation of companies in high "natural gas intensity" industries were positively affected by unexpected downward shocks in natural gas prices and the results are significant. / text

In 1982, the Financial Accounting Board (FASB) issued Statment of Financial Accounting Standards No. 69 (SFAS No. 69) which required oil and gas producing companies to disclose supplementary information to the basic financial statements. These disclosures include, costs incurred, capitalized costs, reserve quantities, and a standardized measure of discounted cash flows. The FASB considered these disclosures to be necessary to compensate for the deficiencies in historical cost financial statements. The usefulness of the new signals created by SFAS No. 69, however, is an empirical question and research regarding that objective is lacking. The objective of the study is to test the usefulness of SFAS No. 69. The research strategy used to achieve that objective is to compare the discriminant and predictive power of SFAS No. 69 signals or SFAS No. 69 signals combined with financial signals to that of financial signals alone. The research hypothesized that SFAS No. 69 signals by themselves or as supplmentary to financial signals have more discriminant and predictive ability for business failure in oil and gas industry than do financial signals alone. In order to test that hypothesis, the study used the multiple discriminant analysis technique (MDA) to develop three equations. The first is based on SFAS NO. 69 signals, the second on financial statement signals, and the third on joint financial and SFAS No. 69 signals. Data were collected from the 10-K's arid the annual reports of 28 oil and gas companies (14 failed and 14 nonfailed). The analysis was repeated for four time bases, one year before failure, two years before failure, three years before failure, and the average of the three years immediately before failure. After assessing the discriminant and predictive ability of each equation in the four time bases, a t-test was used to determine a significant difference in the discriminant and predictive power existed between SFAS No. 69 signals or SFAS No. 69 signals combined with financial signals and financial signals alone. The study concluded that SFAS No. 69 signals by themselves or as supplementary to financial statements have more discriminant and predictive power for business failure than financial signals alone in the analyses of the third year before failure and of the average of three years before failure. The study, however, found no significant difference in the discriminant and predictive ability in the analyses of one year and two years before failure. The results indicated that SFAS No. 69 signals are useful for financial report users in detecting the deterioration of the financial position of an oil and gas company before failure.

Whilst the topic of leadership has been widely studied it remains little understood, particularly at the first-level line of leadership, especially as it relates to developing countries such as Kuwait. This study critically analyses and presents the needs, skills and capabilities of frontline leaders working in the Kuwait’s Oil and Gas Sector companies. It also examines how such needs and competencies can be developed so as to make these leaders more effective in leading functional units (teams) and to improve organisational performance overall. The study produces a frontline leadership needs and skills development framework that contributes to a better understanding of leadership in a Middle Eastern country (Kuwait), taking into account important contextual factors that influence leadership. Influenced by a social constructivist philosophy and based on qualitative evidence gathered from 42 Team Leaders, the essential leadership needs neglected by previous literature (and possibly lacking in Kuwait) were: business knowledge, technical skills, leadership and managerial skills, communication skills, decision-making skills and change management skills. These leadership needs reflected what the third line leaders understood and personally believed to be essential leadership dimensions for them to be effective and to competently undertake their work. These leadership needs constituted the foundation for their present and future leadership development in order to enhance their leadership capabilities. However, no single methodology was identified as a ‘one size fits all’ solution to meeting the development needs of the Team Leaders. Nevertheless, on the job-training was considered to be the most effective approach to develop these skills and capabilities. It is recommended that top management, and in particular human resources departments within the Oil and Gas Sector companies should continuously identify the needs of third-line leaders and focus on developing skills and competencies considered to be lacking and the most important by these frontline leaders, rather than offering a raft of seemingly unconnected development activities.

La quantité d’hydrocarbures récupérés peut être considérablement augmentée si un placement optimal des puits non conventionnels à forer, peut être trouvé. Pour cela, l’utilisation d’algorithmes d’optimisation, où la fonction objectif est évaluée en utilisant un simulateur de réservoir, est nécessaire. Par ailleurs, pour des réservoirs avec une géologie complexe avec des hétérogénéités élevées, le problème d’optimisation nécessite des algorithmes capables de faire face à la non-régularité de la fonction objectif. L’objectif de cette thèse est de développer une méthodologie efficace pour déterminer l’emplacement optimal des puits et leurs trajectoires, qui offre la valeur liquidative maximale en utilisant un nombre techniquement abordable de simulations de réservoir.Dans cette thèse, nous montrons une application réussie de l’algorithme “Covariance Matrix Adaptation - Evolution Strategy” (CMA-ES) qui est reconnu comme l’un des plus puissants optimiseurs sans-dérivés pour l’optimisation continue. Par ailleurs, afin de réduire le nombre de simulations de réservoir (évaluations de la fonction objectif), nous concevons deux nouveaux algorithmes. Premièrement, nous proposons une nouvelle variante de la méthode CMA-ES avec des méta-modèles, appelé le nouveau-local-méta-modèle CMA-ES (nlmm-CMA), améliorant la variante déjà existante de la méthode local-méta-modèle CMA-ES (lmm-CMA) sur la plupart des fonctions de benchmark, en particulier pour des tailles de population plus grande que celle par défaut. Ensuite, nous proposons d’exploiter la séparabilité partielle de la fonction objectif durant le processus d’optimisation afin de définir un nouvel algorithme appelé la partiellement séparable local-méta-modèle CMAES (p-sep lmm-CMA), conduisant à une réduction importante en nombre d’évaluations par rapport à la méthode CMA-ES standard.Dans cette thèse, nous appliquons également les algorithmes développés (nlmm-CMA et p-sep lmm-CMA) sur le problème de placement des puits pour montrer, à travers plusieurs exemples, une réduction significative du nombre de simulations de réservoir nécessaire pour trouver la configuration optimale des puits. Les approches proposées sont révélées prometteuses en considérant un budget restreint de simulations de réservoir, qui est le contexte imposé dans la pratique.Enfin, nous proposons une nouvelle approche pour gérer l’incertitude géologique pour le problème d’optimisation de placement des puits. L’approche proposée utilise seulement une réalisation, ainsi que le voisinage de chaque configuration, afin d’estimer sa fonction objectif au lieu d’utiliser multiples réalisations. L’approche est illustrée sur un cas de réservoir de benchmark, et se révèle être en mesure de capturer l’incertitude géologique en utilisant un nombre réduit de simulations de réservoir. / The amount of hydrocarbon recovered can be considerably increased by finding optimal placement of non-conventional wells. For that purpose, the use of optimization algorithms, where the objective function is evaluated using a reservoir simulator, is needed. Furthermore, for complex reservoir geologies with high heterogeneities, the optimization problem requires algorithms able to cope with the non-regularity of the objective function. The goal of this thesis was to develop an efficient methodology for determining optimal well locations and trajectories, that offers the maximum asset value using a technically feasible number of reservoir simulations.In this thesis, we show a successful application of the Covariance Matrix Adaptation - Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES) which is recognized as one of the most powerful derivative-free optimizers for continuous optimization. Furthermore, in order to reduce the number of reservoir simulations (objective function evaluations), we design two new algorithms. First, we propose a new variant of CMA-ES with meta-models, called the newlocal-meta-model CMA-ES (nlmm-CMA), improving over the already existing variant of the local-meta-model CMA-ES (lmm-CMA) on most benchmark functions, in particular for population sizes larger than the default one. Then, we propose to exploit the partial separability of the objective function in the optimization process to define a new algorithm called the partially separable local-meta-model CMA-ES (p-sep lmm-CMA), leading to an important speedup compared to the standard CMA-ES.In this thesis, we apply also the developed algorithms (nlmm-CMA and p-sep lmm-CMA) on the well placement problem to show, through several examples, a significant reduction of the number of reservoir simulations needed to find optimal well configurations. The proposed approaches are shown to be promising when considering a restricted budget of reservoir simulations, which is the imposed context in practice.Finally, we propose a new approach to handle geological uncertainty for the well placement optimization problem. The proposed approach uses only one realization together with the neighborhood of each well configuration in order to estimate its objective function instead of using multiple realizations. The approach is illustrated on a synthetic benchmark reservoir case, and is shown to be able to capture the geological uncertainty using a reduced number of reservoir simulations.

[pt] As reservas são os principais ativos responsáveis pela valoração das companhias petrolíferas frente ao mercado mundial. No entanto, para definir qualquer volume de hidrocarboneto como reserva, se faz necessária a construção de um plano de desenvolvimento para explorar e comercializar todo óleo e gás disponíveis. Com isso, o conhecimento prévio do volume de hidrocarbonetos se torna estratégico para antecipar o desenvolvimento e facilitar a obtenção de investimentos. O objetivo dessa dissertação é propor uma metodologia de previsão de reservas através de melhorias nos métodos propostos por Knoring et al. (1999) e Barcelos (2006). A primeira melhoria se refere à otimização do ajuste dos modelos propostos às séries históricas de volume recuperável através de um método iterativo para fornecer soluções iniciais ao método de estimativa dos mínimos quadrados não lineares. A segunda melhoria ocorre no processo de escolha do melhor modelo, evitando que todo o processo necessite ser revisto após a inserção de novos dados às series históricas a cada ano. Para analisar a eficácia do trabalho proposto, o método é aplicado à 7 séries históricas de volume recuperável e comparadas com a atual metodologia de previsão de reservas utilizada pela companhia patrocinadora do estudo. / [en] Reserves are the main assets responsible for valuation of oil companies in the world market. However, to set any volume of hydrocarbon as reserves, it is necessary to develop a business plan to exploit and commercialize all oil and gas available. Therefore, the prior knowledge of the volume of hydrocarbons becomes strategic to anticipate the development and facilitate the acquisition of investments. The goal of this dissertation is to propose a methodology for reserves forecasting through improvements in the methods proposed by Knoring et al. (1999) and Barcelos (2006). The first improvement is related to optimize the fit of the proposed models for recoverable volume time series via an iterative method to provide initial solutions to the nonlinear least squares estimation method. The second improvement occurs in the process of choosing the best model avoiding the whole process needs to be revised after inserting new data to historical series each year. To analyze the effectiveness of the proposed work, the method is applied to seven recoverable volume time series and compared with the current methodology of reserves forecasting used by the company sponsoring the study.

[pt] A indústria brasileira de óleo e gás é, atualmente, uma das mais atrativas do mundo. Investidores, fabricantes de equipamentos e companhias de petróleo procuram a todo momento formas de entrar neste mercado para sustentar sua competitividade. Devido à complexidade e aos elevados investimentos necessáriosà atuação neste setor, as alianças estratégicas, fusões e aquisições tornam-se indispensáveis para o aproveitamento dessas oportunidades. Desta maneira, o objetivo deste trabalho consiste em analisar as alianças estratégicas, fusões e aquisições da empresa FMC Technologies com seus atores-chave no setor de óleo e gás. A investigação foi conduzida mediante o emprego da metodologia de estudo de caso, com triangulação de métodos. Assim, os dados da pesquisa foram coletados por vários meios, a saber: investigação documental/telematizada e levantamentos de percepções, com o auxílio de questionário predominantemente estruturado e de entrevistas respectivamente. Tais elementos foram tratados com base no referencial teórico, fundamentado na revisão da literatura pertinente à área de estudo, com o auxílio da ferramenta analítica Global SNA Framework de Macedo-Soares (2011). Os resultados da pesquisa evidenciaram uma adequação entre os objetivos estratégicos explicitados pela empresa e as alianças e F&A realizadas com parceiros, proporcionando um aumento das oportunidades e uma redução das ameaças no nível da indústria. Como recomendação resultante da pesquisa, sugere-se a realização de novos trabalhos enfocando os principais concorrentes da FMC Technologies os quais também competem globalmente por meio de alianças globais no setor de óleo e gás. / [en] The Brazilian oil and gas industry is currently one of the most attractive worldwide. Investors, equipment manufacturers and oil companies continuously seek ways to enter in this market to sustain its competitiveness. Due to the complexity and high investments required to operate in this sector, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions become mandatory to benefit from such opportunities. Thus, the aim of this thesisis to analyze strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions of FMC Technologies with their key players in the oil and gas sector. The investigation was conducted using a case study methodology, with triangulation of methods. The survey data were collected by different ways: analysis of documents, telematic and perception research, using surveys and predominantly structured interviews. The data treatment was based on the theoretical framework, pursuant to a review of the relevant literature, with the support of the analytical tool GlobalSNA Framework Macedo-Soares (2011). The study results showed a match between the strategic objectives for the company and explained the alliances and M&A transactions with partners, providing increased opportunities and reducing threats in the industry level. As a result from the research, it is recommendedto conduct new studies focused on the main competitors of FMC Technologies, whose international operations are also based on global alliances in the oil and gas sector.

A presente tese de doutorado analisa, de forma crítica, como as receitas de recursos naturais devem ser arrecadadas, distribuídas aos entes federativos e aplicadas no Direito Financeiro Brasileiro. Para tanto, parte-se do exame dos contornos econômicos e políticos da exploração de recursos naturais, apresentando breve histórico sobre a cobrança de royalties no estrangeiro, da evolução da legislação brasileira sobre as compensações financeiras, discutindo então a natureza jurídica destas receitas públicas no direito pátrio. Com base nessas premissas, apresentam-se considerações gerais sobre a concentração geográfica de recursos naturais e o dilema da repartição de receitas provenientes da exploração destes recursos nas federações, procedendo-se então ao estudo do modelo de repartição federativa de receitas de compensações financeiras adotado pelo Brasil. Reconhecendo-se a constante evolução deste modelo e apontando-se suas virtudes e seus defeitos, desenvolve-se uma avaliação de proposições normativas de mudanças dos critérios atualmente adotados, especialmente no que diz respeito à equalização fiscal enquanto elemento de promoção de desenvolvimento subnacional e redução das desigualdades inter-regionais e intrarregionais, bem como de coesão política nacional. Finalmente, são discutidos os aspectos teóricos e práticos da aplicação das receitas oriundas da exploração de recursos naturais, bem como analisada a prática brasileira. Com fundamento nesta análise, as vinculações legais das receitas de recursos naturais e a constituição de fundos públicos financiados por estas receitas são avaliadas no contexto brasileiro. As conclusões preliminares desses pontos informam, então, o estudo sobre o papel relevante do controle de contas, da fiscalização e da transparência fiscal na promoção da eficiência e da justiça do gasto público no contexto das receitas de recursos naturais. / This doctoral thesis presents a critical analysis of the collection, intergovernmental distribution and expenditure of natural resource revenues under Brazilian Public Finance law. In order to provide a comprehensive discussion of such proposition, the thesis first examines the economic and political aspects of the natural resources industry, then presents a brief historical overview of natural resources royalties under both comparative and Brazilian law and continues with an analysis of the legal status of royalties in Brazil. Building on such premises, the thesis proceeds with general remarks on the geographical concentration of natural resources in federal countries and on decentralization arrangements for royalties, as well an on the Brazilian revenue sharing instruments. Acknowledging the continuous evolution of these instruments and evaluating their costs and benefits, a discussion on alternative revenue sharing arrangements is presented, especially regarding the promotion of equalizing goals and political cohesion among subnational units of governments in Brazil. Finally, the thesis discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of public expenditures of royalty revenues, presenting an analysis of the Brazilian praxis. Building on this analysis, an evaluation of revenue earmarking procedures and natural resources funds is presented. The preliminary conclusions therein enable a discussion of accountability, public auditing and fiscal transparency in the context of natural resources revenue expenditures.

O Brasil vem passando por um período de mudanças na regulação do mercado de exploração e produção (E&P) de petróleo e gás com o intuito de promover o seu desenvolvimento econômico, tecnológico e científico. Duas destas mudanças foram responsáveis por drásticas modificações no mercado de E&P brasileiro, sendo a primeira, a quebra do monopólio da Petrobras em 1997 com o início da utilização do regime de concessão e, a segunda, a utilização do regime de partilha de produção a partir de 2013 para as áreas estratégicas, especialmente o pré-sal. A busca por um regime regulatório adequado para o mercado de E&P é uma tarefa bastante complexa, porque cada agente envolvido busca defender seus próprios interesses e critérios, o que acaba por resultar em um problema em grupo. Neste trabalho pioneiro, uma nova metodologia é proposta, combinando uma abordagem de tomada de decisão multicritério (MCDM/A) e a teoria de jogos, com o intuito de compreender e analisar mais profundamente este problema e encontrar soluções de equilíbrio. Esta metodologia inovadora é uma das contribuições deste trabalho e propõe modelar a escolha de um regime regulatório mais adequado como um jogo de negociação, levando em consideração as diferentes preferências e perspectivas de todos os agentes envolvidos no mercado brasileiro de E&P de petróleo e gás. Três aplicações práticas do modelo foram realizadas, sendo que as duas primeiras aplicações foram realizadas com dados teóricos e a terceira a partir de coleta de dados com especialistas do mercado de E&P brasileiro. Como principal resultado, verificou-se que a lógica destas aplicações práticas se assemelham ao jogo clássico da Batalha dos Sexos, onde as melhores soluções acontecem quando os agentes coordenam suas ações, mesmo com interesses opostos. Esta dinâmica de conflito de interesses torna a busca por soluções desafiante, sendo improvável que os objetivos de todos os jogadores sejam adequadamente atendidos por somente uma opção, independentemente da alternativa escolhida. / Brazil is facing a period of changes in its regulatory frameworks aiming to promote the economic, technological and scientific development of its entire oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) market. Two of these changes have drastically modified the Brazilian E&P market, which the first one was the utilization of the concession regime breaking the Petrobras monopoly after 1997 and the second one, the adoption of production sharing contracts (PSCs) after 2013 for all the strategic areas, especially the pre-salt. Finding a suitable regulatory framework for the E&P market is a quite complicated task, because every agent involved seeks to defend its own interests and criteria, resulting in a group problem. In this pioneering work, a new methodology is proposed by combining a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM/A) and a game theory approach, targeting to understand and analyze more deeply this complex problem in order to find equilibrium solutions. This innovative methodology is one of the main contributions of this work and proposes to model the choosing of an appropriate regulatory framework as a negotiation game, taking into account the different preferences and perspectives of all agents involved in the Brazilian E&P market. Three practical applications were performed, where the first two were carried out with theoretical data and the third one by using data collected with Brazilian E&P market experts. The main outcome identified that the logic behind these practical applications is similar to the classical game of Battle of sexes, where the best solutions happen when players coordinate their actions, even with opposing interests. This dynamic of conflict of interests makes the search for adequate solutions a challenging task, being unlikely that the objectives of all the players will be sufficiently accomplished by only one option, regardless of the alternative chosen.

FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage e Offloading) plants, similarly to other oil and gas offshore processing plants, are known to be an energy-intensive process. Thus, any energy consumption and production optimization procedures can be applied to find optimum operating conditions of the unit, saving money and CO2 emissions from oil and gas processing companies. A primary processing plant of a typical FPSO operating in a Brazilian deep-water oil field on pre-salt areas is modeled and simulated using its real operating data. Three operation conditions of the oil field are presented in this research: (i) Maximum oil/gas content (mode 1), (ii) 50% BSW oil content (mode 2) and (iii) high water/CO2 in oil content (mode 3). In addition, an aero-derivative gas turbine (RB211G62 DLE 60Hz) with offshore application is considered for the heat and generation unit using the real performance data. The impact of eight thermodynamic input parameters on fuel consumption and hydrocarbon liquids recovery of the FPSO unit are investigated by the Smoothing Spline ANOVA (SS-ANOVA) method. From SS-ANOVA, the input parameters that presented the highest impact on fuel consumption and hydrocarbon liquids recovery were selected for an optimization procedure. The software Aspen HYSYS is used as the process simulator for the screening analysis process and for the optimization procedure, that consisted of a Hybrid Algorithm (NSGA-II +SQP method). The objective functions used in the optimization were the minimization of fuel consumption of the processing and utility plants and the maximization of hydrocarbon liquids recovery. From SS-ANOVA, the statistical analysis revealed that the most important parameters affecting the fuel consumption of the plant are: (1) output pressure of the first control valve (P1); (2) output pressure of the second stage of the separation train before mixing with dilution water (P2); (3) input pressure of the third stage of separation train (P3); (4) input pressure of dilution water (P4); (5) output pressure of the main gas compressor (Pc); (6) output petroleum temperature in the first heat exchanger (T1); (7) output petroleum temperature in the second heat exchanger (T2); (8) and dilution water temperature (T3). Four input parameters (P1, P2, P3 and Pc), three input parameters (P3, Pc and T2) and three input parameters (P3, Pc and T2) correspond to 96%, 97% and 97% of the total contribution to fuel consumption for modes 1, 2 and 3, respectively. For hydrocarbon liquids recovery of the plant: Four input parameters (P1,P2,P3 and T2), three input parameters (P3, P2 and T2) and three input parameters (P3, P2 and T2) correspond to 95%, 97% and 98% of the total contribution to hydrocarbon liquids recovery for modes 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The results from the optimized case indicated that the minimization of fuel consumption is achieved by increasing the operating pressure in the third stage of the separation train and by decreasing the operating temperature in the second stage of the separation train for all operation modes. There were a reduction in power demand of 6.4% for mode 1, 10% for mode 2 and 2.9% for mode 3, in comparison to the baseline case. Consequently, the fuel consumption of the plant was decreased by 4.46% for mode 1, 8.34% for mode 2 and 2.43% for mode 3 , when compared to the baseline case. Moreover, the optimization found an improvement in the recovery of the volatile components, in comparison with the baseline cases. Furthermore, the optimum operating condition found by the optimization procedure of hydrocarbon liquids recovery presented an increase of 4.36% for mode 1, 3.79% for mode 2 and 1.75% for mode 3 in hydrocarbon liquids recovery (stabilization and saving), when compared to a conventional operating condition of their baseline. / As plantas FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage e Offloading) , assim como outras plataformas de processamento offshore de petróleo e gás, são conhecidas por terem processos com uso intensivo de energia. Portanto, qualquer aplicação de procedimentos de otimização para consumo de energia e/ou produção pode ser útil para encontrar as melhores condições de operação da unidade, reduzindo custos e emissões de CO2 de empresas que atuam na área de petróleo e gás. Uma planta de processamento primário de uma plataforma FPSO típica, operando em um campo de petróleo em águas profundas brasileiras e em áreas do pré-sal, é modelada e simulada usando seus dados operacionais reais: (i) Teor máximo de óleo / gás (modo 1), (ii) 50 % de teor de BSW no óleo (modo 2) e (iii) teor elevado de água / CO2 no óleo (modo 3). Além disso, uma turbina a gás aeroderivativa (RB211G62 DLE 60Hz) para aplicação offshore é considerada para a unidade de geração da potência eletrica e calor, através dos seus dados reais de desempenho. O impacto de oito parâmetros termodinâmicos de entrada no consumo de combustível e na recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos da unidade FPSO são investigados pelo método SS-ANOVA (Smoothing Spline ANOVA). A partir do SS-ANOVA, os parâmetros de entrada que apresentaram o maior impacto no consumo de combustível e na recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos foram selecionados para aplicação em um procedimento de otimização. Os processos de análise da triagem (usando SS-ANOVA) e de otimização, que consiste em um Algoritmo Híbrido (método NSGA-II + SQP), utilizaram o software Aspen HYSYS como simulador de processo. As funções objetivo utilizadas na otimização foram: minimização do consumo de combustível das plantas de processamento e utilidade e a maximização da recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos. Ainda utilizando SS-ANOVA, a análise estatística realizada revelou que os parâmetros mais importantes que afetam o consumo de combustível da planta são: (1) pressão de saída da primeira válvula de controle (P1); (2) pressão de saída do segundo estágio do trem de separação (e antes da mistura com água de diluição) (P2); (3) pressão de entrada do terceiro estágio do trem de separação (P3); (4) pressão de entrada da água de diluição (P4); (5) pressão de saída do compressor principal de gás (Pc); temperatura de saída de petróleo no primeiro trocador de calor (T1); (7) temperatura de saída de petróleo no segundo trocador de calor (T2); e (8) temperatura da água de diluição. Os parâmetros de entrada de P1, P2, P3 e Pc correspondem a 95% da contribuição total para a recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos da planta para os modos 1. Analogamente, os três parâmetros de entrada P3, Pc e T2 correspondem a 97% e 98% do contribuição total para o consumo de combustível para os modos 2 e 3, respectivamente. Para a recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos da plant, os parâmetros de entrada de P1, P2, P3 e T2 correspondem a 96% da contribuição total para o consumo de combustível para o modo 1. Da mesma forma, os três parâmetros de entrada P3, P2 e T2 correspondem a 97% e 97% da contribuição total para a recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos para os modos 2 e 3, respectivamente. Os resultados do caso otimizado indicaram que a minimização do consumo de combustível é obtida aumentando a pressão de operação no terceiro estágio do trem de separação e diminuindo a temperatura de operação no segundo estágio do trem de separação para todos os modos de operação. Houve uma redução na demanda de potência de 6,4% para o modo 1, 10% para o modo 2 e 2,9% para o modo 3, em comparação com o caso base. Consequentemente, o consumo de combustível da planta foi reduzido em 4,46% para o modo 1, 8,34% para o modo 2 e 2,43% para o modo 3, quando comparado com o caso base. Além disso, o procedimento de otimização identificou uma melhora na recuperação dos componentes voláteis, em comparação com os casos baseline. A condição ótima de operação encontrada pelo procedimento para otimização da recuperação de hidrocarbonetos líquidos apresentou um aumento de 4,36% para o modo 1, 3,79% para o modo 2 e 1,75% para modo 3, na recuperação líquida de hidrocarbonetos líquidos (e estabilização), quando comparado com as condições operacionais convencionais das suas baseline.