Equinor starts up presalt Bacalhau Field offshore Brazil
Equinor has started production from the Bacalhau Field in the Santos Basin presalt offshore Brazil.
Bacalhau is in the BM-S-8 and Carcará North blocks, in water depths of more than 2,000 m. Recoverable reserves are estimated at more than 1 Bboe, making this Equinor’s largest international offshore field development to date.
The Phase 1 development comprises 19 producer and injector wells, which will be brought online sequentially to ramp up and sustain production.
The FPSO, supplied and initially operated by MODEC, is 370 m long and 64 m wide, with an oil production capacity of 220,000 bbl/d and storage for 2 MMbbl. It is moored in a water depth of about 2,050 m using a spread mooring system supplied by SOFEC.
According to MODEC, it is one of the largest FPSOs ever delivered to Brazil and the company’s ninth for the presalt province. It features the company’s M350 hull, said to provide enhanced topside capacity, greater storage than conventional VLCC tankers and a longer service life.
Also onboard are combined-cycle gas turbines, a technology said to reduce carbon intensity to about 9 kg/boe, and other abatement measures for flaring, processing, power generation and storage.
Following the initial production phase, Equinor intends to operate the Bacalhau facilities until end of the license period.
Petrobras discovered the field in 2012 with Equinor approved as new operator in 2016. According to the company, it is the first field in Brazil’s presalt to be developed by an international operator.
Other partners are ExxonMobil Brasil, Petrogal Brasil (JV Galp/Sinopec) and Pré-Sal Petróleo (PPSA – Government Company, PSA Manager).
