Jul 17, 2020
Among the units licensed by Petrobras are four with a capacity to produce 225,000 bopd
On Thursday (7/15), Petrobras requested a license from Ibama for the implementation of 12 FPSOs in the Santos Basin pre-salt and the reactivation of an FPSO in Mero (“FPSO Mero FR”). There are four new units for the Búzios field (Buzios FPSOs 9, 10, 11 and 12), in addition to the Sepia 2, Atapu 2, Sururu and Lula Revitalization FPSOs. The state company also requested a license for units in the areas of Sagitario, Uirapuru, Três Marias and Aram, which are in the exploration phase.
The Uirapuru 1 vessel will be installed at a minimum distance of 188 km from the coast, with a production capacity of 180 thousand b / d. It should be connected to 16 wells, ten of which are producers, three water injectors and three convertibles.
In April, Petrobras found evidence of hydrocarbons in the block, five months after the drilling of the West Tellus rig from Seadrill began. The consortium – formed by the state-owned company (operator, with 30%), ExxonMobil (28%), Equinor (28%) and Galp (14%) – faced technical difficulties in the region.
The Sagitario prospect (in block S-M-623) was discovered in 2013, with the discovery assessment plan (PAD) due in late October. The Sagitario FPSO is scheduled to start operations in January 2027, with a production capacity of 180,000 b / d and to be connected to 16 wells – seven producers and nine water injectors. The area is operated by Petrobras (60%), in partnership with Repsol (20%) and Shell (20%).
In Três Marias, the first exploratory period ends in 2025. In May, the state-owned company (operator, with 30%) informed PetróleoHoje that it was carrying out technical work with the consortium, formed by Chevron (30%) and Shell (40%). The FPSO designed for the area will have a plant with a capacity to produce 150 thousand b / d, with 16 wells, eight producers and eight injectors (WAG type). The start estimate is in November 2028.
In the Uirapuru, Sagitario and Três Marias blocks, Petrobras foresees the flow of the natural gas produced. The vessels have a processing capacity of 10 million m³ / d of gas.
The FPSOs for the Búzios field (units 9, 10, 11 and 12) are the most robust in the list. The four have an expected production capacity of 225 thousand b / d and process 12 million m³ / d of natural gas, which will be reinjected. The first oil from the platforms is expected to occur between June 2025 and November 2027. Second largest producer in the country, the Búzios field has four units in operation (P-74, P-75, P-76 and P-77 ) and another under construction, the FPSO Almirante Barroso.
At the end of 2019, the state-owned company declared that it planned to implement another seven FPSOs in the field, in the second phase of the project. As published by PetróleoHoje, three notices are expected to be launched this semester (units 6, 7 and 8). According to Petrobras’ strategic planning 2020-2024, Búzios will receive US $ 18 billion in investments between 2020 and 2024.
The Aram FPSO – a block purchased by the state-owned company (operator, with an 80% stake), in partnership with the Chinese CNODC (20%), in the 6th Sharing Round – will have the capacity to produce 150 thousand b / d, being connected to seven producing wells and three injectors (WAG), starting in January 2028.
With production started last month by the FPSO P-70, the Atapu field has a new unit planned by the state-owned company. The Atapu 2 project foresees production of 180 thousand b / d and processing of 6 million m³ / d of gas. The state-owned company expects to start operations in September 2026.
The license also includes a second platform for the Sépia field, with a capacity to produce 180 thousand b / d as of September 2026, connected to 11 wells (six producers and five injectors). The first FPSO chartered by Modec, has the first oil scheduled for 2021.
The other projected vessels will operate in Sururu, under development in the Iara area (concession BM-S-11A) and in the revitalization of the Lula field, the largest producer in the country. The FPSO for Sururu will have a plant for 100 thousand b / d, connected to 19 wells (12 producers and 7 injectors) and start of activities scheduled for January 2027. Lula’s FPSO will be 120 thousand b / d, with 21 wells planned (14 producers and seven injectors) and start of activities estimated for June 2026.
Sururu is operated by Petrobras (42.5%), in a consortium with Shell (25%), Total (22.5%) and Galp (10%). In Lula, the state-owned company is an operator with a 65% stake, in partnership with Shell (25%) and Galp (10%).
With operations scheduled to start in March 2024, the FPSO Mero Fator de Recuperação (FR) will have the capacity to produce 50 thousand b / d – the same as the FPSO Pioneiro de Libra, operated by the Ocyan / Teekay consortium. As published, Petrobras is studying maintaining it as a definitive unit in the Libra area.
The airports of Jacarepaguá, Maricá and Cabo Frio, in Rio de Janeiro, will be bases of support for the projects, besides the ports of Vitória (ES), Macaé, Açu, Niterói e Rio de Janeiro (RJ).
Source: Revista Brasil Energia
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