Petrobras produces over 1 billion barrels of oil in pre-salt

Brazil’s state-owned oil company Petrobras and its partners have now produced 1 billion barrels of oil in the pre-salt layer. 

This total output was achieved just six years after the first production system came on stream in Santos Basin, in Lula field, and 10 years after the first discovery, in 2006, Petrobras said on Wednesday.

The company’s total oil and natural gas production in November was 2.86 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), of which 2.74 million were produced in Brazil and 0.12 million boed abroad.

Average oil production in the country was 2.23 million barrels per day (bpd), a 2% growth compared to October.

According to Petrobras, this output was mainly due to a better operational performance of platforms in Parque das Baleias complex and FPSO Cidade Saquarema, installed in the Lula field, at the pre-salt layer in Santos Basin.

Another highlight was the start of production of a new well connected to FPSO Cidade Maricá, also in Lula.

Pre-salt production

Oil production operated by Petrobras (own and partners’ share) at the pre-salt layer achieved the 1-billion accrued barrels mark in November, six years after the first commercial production at this province.

In November, oil and natural gas production operated by Petrobras at the pre-salt layer was 1.45 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), a 2% increase in relation to the previous month.

Moreover, the average oil production operated by Petrobras in pre-salt was 1.16 million bpd, 1.5% higher than in the previous month. It is noteworthy that the Company and its partners reached a new daily production record in that province by producing a volume of 1.25 million barrels of oil on the 9th day of the month.

Natural gas production

Natural gas production in Brazil, except for the liquefied volume, was 80.5 million m³/day, 3.8% higher than in the previous month due to the better-operating performance by the Parque das Baleias platforms and by FPSO Cidade Saquarema, in addition to FPSO Cidade de Santos’ return to operation after a scheduled stoppage.

Average natural gas production abroad, except for the liquefied volume, was 9.1 million m³/d, 5.3% lower than in the previous month, due mainly to the maintenance stoppage at the Hadrian South/Lucius platform.