Petrobras strikes black gold within producing oil field’s pre-salt offshore Brazil

Brazilian state-owned energy heavyweight Petrobras has made a new oil discovery in the pre-salt area of its existing field off the coast of Brazil.

The drilling of the 9-BUZ-99D-RJS well in the western region of the Búzios field in the pre-salt Santos Basin has enabled Petrobras to confirm the presence of oil reservoirs within a new accumulation in a zone below the main reservoir.

Located 189 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, the well was drilled at a water depth of 1,940 meters. Thanks to tests conducted from a depth of 5,600 meters, oil presence was confirmed through electrical profiles.

While the firm highlights that these will be characterized later through laboratory analyses, the discovery is perceived to reaffirm the pre-salt potential of the Búzios field. The partners intend to keep analyzing the results to proceed with activities in the area.

The Búzios shared reservoir consortium encompasses Petrobras as the operator (88.98% stake), in partnership with CNOOC (7.34%) and CNPC (3.67%), with Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) as the manager.

This oil discovery comes on the heels of the start-up of the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré as part of the field’s sixth production system to help uplift output to 1 million barrels of oil per day by the second half of 2025.

The FPSO is part of the field’s floating production set, entailing five other FPSOs, including P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, and Almirante Barroso. The Búzios field, which started production in 2018, is seen as the world’s largest field in ultra-deep waters.

The ramp-up of hydrocarbon resources and output is in line with Petrobras’ five-year plan, which spotlights focus on replacing reserves, increasing production with a lower carbon footprint, and expanding the supply of more sustainable and higher-quality products in its portfolio.