FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão begins operations in the Mero field 

– Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras informs that the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão started production today in the Mero field (Libra block), in the pre-salt Santos Basin, more than two months ahead of schedule in its Business Plan.

The platform, chartered by Petrobras from SBM Offshore, has the capacity to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day and process 12 million m³ of gas per day. The FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão is the fifth platform in the field, joining the Pioneiro de Libra, Guanabara, Sepetiba and Marechal Duque de Caxias units.

With the new FPSO in operation, the field’s installed production capacity will be increased from 590,000 to 770,000 barrels per day, which represents an increase of 31%.

Twelve wells will be connected to the platform, linked by a robust subsea infrastructure, five of which will produce oil, six will alternately inject water or gas, and one will be a convertible well, which will initially act as an oil producer and later as a gas injector. In order to maximize production and reduce risks, the wells are equipped with resources for production and injection at previously selected intervals, which can be changed remotely by the platform, a technology known as intelligent completion.  

The platform is equipped with resources to operate the HISEP (High Pressure Separator) in the future, a technology patented by Petrobras and currently under qualification, that allows the subsea separation of the extracted oil and the associated CO₂-rich gas, which is reinjected directly into the reservoir.

The operations of the unitized Mero field are conducted by the consortium members of the Libra Production Sharing Contract, operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNOOC (9.65%), CNPC (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA), which in addition to managing the contract, acts as the Federal Government’s representative in the non-contracted area (3.5%).