Drilling ops bear fruit as Petrobras finds more hydrocarbons off Brazil

Brazilian state-owned energy giant Petrobras has made a hydrocarbon discovery at an exploration well in the pre-salt Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil, South America.

While drilling operations are still ongoing, Petrobras has identified the presence of hydrocarbons in the Santos Basin pre-salt, in the 4-BRSA-1395-SPS exploratory well of the Aram block, located 245 kilometers from the city of Santos-SP, at a water depth of 1,759 meters.

According to the Brazilian player, the hydrocarbon-bearing interval has been detected using wireline loggings, gas shows, and fluid sampling. Laboratory analysis will be used to characterize this later. The company is convinced the collected data will enable it to assess the area’s potential and direct the next exploratory activities in the region.

Therefore, the consortium will continue with drilling operations to drill the well up to the planned final depth and characterize the conditions of the found reservoirs. Petrobras sees the Aram block as an important asset for exploring the pre-salt potential, particularly in the Santos Basin.

The block was acquired in March 2020, in the sixth bidding round of the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP), under the Production Sharing regime, with Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) as the manager.

Petrobras is the operator of the Aram block and holds an 80% working interest in the consortium with CNPC (20%). The Brazilian state-owned giant has set $77.3 billion for its Exploration and Production (E&P) segment over the next five years, with about 60% allocated to pre-salt assets and carrying out major revitalization projects (REVITs).

The firm is also engaged in hydrocarbon exploration activities outside Brazil. Recently, the company offered further insight into a drill stem test (DST) conducted for a well situated 31 kilometers off Colombia’s coast, at a water depth of 804 meters.