Petrobras’ presalt oil production sets record

Offshore staff

RIO DE JANEIRO – Petrobras’ oil production in Brazil in April averaged 1.993 MMb/d, up by 0.4% from March’s production of 1.926 MMb/d. Including the production operated by Petrobras for its partners in Brazil, the volume reached 2.034 MMb/d, a 0.4% rise compared to a month earlier.

Petrobras’ total oil and natural gas production in Brazil in April averaged 2.335 MMboed, above March’s production volume (2.331 MMboed). Including the share operated for partners in Brazil, production reached 2.487 MMboed, up 0.2% from March. Production from presalt areas of the Santos and Campos basins increased 4% in April, reaching a volume of 411,000 b/d, setting a new monthly record. In March, the average monthly production from presalt, including Petrobras’ stake and the share operated for partners, was 395,000 b/d.

A presalt daily production record of 428,000 b/d was set on April 15. A new record has been broken on April 18, with 444,000 b/d, due to production growth of platform P-58and the startup of a new well connected to the buoyancy supported riser (BSR) of the Sapinhoá field. This daily record was broken again on May 11, when production in the presalt reached 470,000 b/d. This result is largely due to the startup of well 7-LL-22D-RJS on May 9, connected to the FPSO Cidade de Paraty, in the Lula field, through a BSR.

In April, in accordance with Petrobras’ long-term planning, scheduled maintenance stoppages were implemented in some platforms, which contributed to the small increase in production in comparison to the previous month. The FPSO Vitoria lost 8,600 b/d of production and P-51 lost 4,300 b/d, among others with smaller impact. On March 30, the FPSO Brasil ended its activities in Roncador field, with the closing of well 7-RO-14-RJS. Other wells connected to FPSO Brasil are in the process of relocating to the platformsP-52 and P-54.

A scheduled maintenance stoppage occurred from March 25 to April 15 at the Natural Gas Processing Unit III (UPGN III) located in Urucú (Amazonas state). During this stoppage, the unit lost, on average, 4,200 b/d of production.

Petrobras says that its Operational Efficiency Improvement Program, which began in 2012, has presented excellent results: in April, the production systems of the Campos basin operating unit (UO-BC) reached the highest operational efficiency levels of the past 46 months, reaching 81%. The Rio de Janeiro operating unit (UO-RIO) also achieved record efficiency levels, in March, the best in the last three years, with 96.2%. Because of the success of this program, Petrobras extended it to the Espírito Santo operating unit (UO-ES), starting on May 5.

Petrobras also reports that new oil production systems will be starting up during 2014 to ensure a sustained production growth, as outlined in the company’s 2014–2018 Business and Management Plan, which has set a 7.5% production growth target, with a tolerance of 1% up or down, by year’s end. In May, platform P-62 started up in the Roncador field of the Campos basin. In the coming months, 22 wells, 14 of them oil and gas producing wells and eight water injection wells, will be connected to the platform. This unit, which is an FPSO, has the capacity to process up to 180,000 b/d of oil and 6 MMcm/d (212 MMcf/d) of natural gas daily.

On April 28, Petrobras incorporated the Seven Waves vessel into its PLSVs fleet. Its first operation will be the connection of the third well of platform P-62 in the Roncador field.

In addition toP-62, in 2H 2014, Petrobras will start up platform P-61 in the Papa-Terra field (a post-salt area of the Campos basin), which will be connected to the semisubmersible platform SS-88, a Tender Assisted Drilling (TAD) support unit. Also in 2H 2014, the company will install FPSO Cidade de Mangaratiba in the Lula/Iracema field, and FPSO Cidade de Ilhabela in the Sapinhoá field, both in the Santos basin presalt.

In April, natural gas production of 64 MMcm (2.26 tcf) remained at the same levels of the previous month. Including the share operated by Petrobras for partners, the volume reached 72.8 MMcm/d (2.57 tcf), also in line with March’s volume. The export of natural gas produced through FPSO Cidade de São Paulo started on April.

06/02/2014