P-78 Platform (Búzios 6) reaches peak production of 180,000 barrels per day

Nov. 3 – The P-78 platform, installed in the Búzios field in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin, reached the mark of 180,000 barrels of oil per day on Saturday (10/31), corresponding to the unit’s nameplate capacity. Located 180 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, the Búzios field is Petrobras’ largest producing field and reached production of 1.2 million barrels per day in July.

“The wells in Búzios have extremely high productivity due to the quality and considerable thickness of the reservoir rock. The rock has high permeability and porosity, and the oil has a high API gravity, which favors a high flow of oil from the rock into the well. P-78 has an additional advantage, as it is located in an area of the field where the reservoir is even thicker, reaching nearly 500 m. This contributes significantly to its high production potential,” explains Petrobras’ Director of Exploration and Production, Sylvia Anjos.

Permo-porosity is the combination of the properties of porosity and permeability, which are associated with the ability of a rock or soil to store and transmit fluids such as oil or gas.

“For P-78 to reach its capacity of 180,000 barrels per day represents the achievement of a major engineering challenge. It is the result of the combination of technology, execution capability, and all the knowledge Petrobras has accumulated in the pre-salt. Each new platform incorporates lessons learned from previous ones, enabling us to produce more efficiently and with lower emissions intensity,” says Renata Baruzzi, Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation.

The P-78 platform was the seventh to start operations in the Búzios field and reached peak production with the start-up of well BUZ 100. The P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77 and P-79 FPSOs, as well as Almirante Barroso and Almirante Tamandaré, also operate in the field.

In total, the Búzios field will have 12 FPSOs. The P-80 (Búzios 9) and P-82 (Búzios 10) platforms are on their way to Brazil, with production scheduled to begin in 2027. The field will also receive P-83 (Búzios 11) and the Búzios 12 unit, which is currently under tender.

The Búzios consortium comprises Petrobras (operator), the Chinese partner companies CNOOC and CNODC, and PPSA, the company responsible for managing production-sharing contracts.