Petrobras regulates licenses and may unlock sale of fields in shallow waters in the Northeast

Jan 29, 2020

Petrobras obtained from Ibama the license for the environmental regularization of drilled wells and the production activities of eleven fields in shallow waters in the Northeast, which the company is selling or has already sold. The measure, according to sources that accompany the negotiations, is essential for the company to be able to transfer ownership of the fields, since potential buyers want to be sure of the viability of revitalizing the areas.

Ibama is attesting the regularity of the Macau field, in the shallow waters of the Potiguar Basin, in Rio Grande do Norte, sold in August last year to 3R Petroleum, which paid US $ 191.1 million for a set of onshore fields and in shallow waters, which all produce from onshore facilities.

The Macau hub, which includes Aratum, Serra, Salina Cristal, Lagoa Aroeira, Porto Carão and Sanhaçu, produces around 5,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and natural gas per day.

Most of the licenses regularized with the environmental agency went to fields that are still for sale. Also in the shallow waters of the Potiguar Basin, Ibama is attesting the regularity of the wells and the production of the fields of Agulha, Ubarana, Cioba, Oeste de Ubarana, Pescada, Arabaiana.

This production cluster in Rio Grande do Norte produces around 4,300 boe per day, according to data from the ANP, from 54 wells and 25 fixed platforms, of which four are inhabited – others are operated remotely.

Source: epbr