Petrobras Unlocks New Production in Buzios Oilfield

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Petrobras Unlocks New Production in Buzios Oilfield

Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) and its partners have started production at the Búzios7 project, expected to raise production in the Búzios oilfield offshore Brazil to as much as one million barrels per day (bpd) by the second half of 2025. “Shortly, it is anticipated that Búzios will become Petrobras’ largest production field, with the goal […]

“Shortly, it is anticipated that Búzios will become Petrobras’ largest production field, with the goal of reaching 2 million barrels per day by 2030”, Petrobras said in an online statement Monday announcing the start-up of Búzios7.

Concurrently Petrobras announced a new discovery in the western part of the field. Well 9-BUZ-99D-RJS, drilled to a water depth of 1,940 meters (6,364.83 feet), is a new accumulation in a zone below the main reservoir. The well is 189 kilometers (117.44 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, according to Petrobras.

“Tests conducted from a depth of 5,600 meters confirmed the presence of oil reservoirs through electrical profiles, which will later be characterized through laboratory analyses”, it said in a separate press release.

“The discovery reaffirms the pre-salt potential of the Búzios field”.

The sixth project started up in the field, Búzios7 has a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel and a subsea production system. “The FPSO used in Buzios7 project is one of the largest FPSOs in the world, with a processing capacity higher than the industry average”, co-venturer CNOOC Ltd. said separately.

FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, leased from SBM Offshore, can produce up to 225,000 bpd, process 12 million cubic meters (423.78 million cubic feet) a day of natural gas and store 1.4 million barrels of crude. It is equipped with closed flare to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and heat recovery devices to reduce energy consumption, according to the partners.

Búzios7 will have 15 development wells including seven for production. Six wells will double up for water access and gas injection. Búzios7 will also have one convertible well and one gas injection well.

Located in the Santos basin, Búzios is planned to have 11 production units. The first four units to be put into production have an aggregate daily output of about 43,000 barrels of oil equivalent. Búzios5 went online 2023 and is expected to have a daily average of 150,000 barrels of oil and six million cubic meters of natural gas.

Petrobras operates Búzios with an 88.99 percent stake. CNOOC Ltd. owns 7.34 percent through wholly-owned subsidiary CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda. CNODC Brasil Petróleo e Gás Ltda. holds the remaining 3.67 percent.

Elsewhere in the Santos basin, Petrobras, CNOOC Ltd. and their partners achieved start-up in the third phase of the Mero oilfield last year. Mero3 has a production capacity of 180,000 bpd, which will raise the field’s installed capacity to 590,000 bpd, according to the owners.

In Mero, Petrobras has a 38.6 percent stake, while CNOOC Ltd. owns 9.65 percent stake. TotalEnergies SE has 19.3 percent, Shell PLC 19.3 percent, China National Petroleum Corp. 9.65 percent and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA 3.5 percent.

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