Petrobas, has obtained environmental licenses to expand production in two offshore fields.Sources familiar with the matter revealed to Reutera that the Brazil’s state-owned company could have one vessel start production earlier than expected in one field.
The licences will facilitate an increase in oil output at the Mero and Buzios fields, both located in the Santos Basin of the Atlantic Ocean.
Petrobras and Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama didn’t immediately comment on these licenses. Petrobras stated that the FPSO will still start production in 2025.
The early start-up of the FPSO Almirante Tamandare in Buzios is a key aspect of this expansion.Despite a strike at Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama, which has delayed permit issuance this year, Petrobras managed to secure the necessary approvals.
The granting of these two liscences, is projected to add approximately 66,000 barrels per day (bpd) to Brazil’s oil production.This increase comprises 46,000bpd from Mero and 20,000bpd from Buzios, contributing around 36,000bpd to Petrobras’ production portfolio.The remaining output will be allocated to its partners and the state-run company PPSA.
The FPSO Almirante Tamandare, with a capacity of 225,000bpd, is expected to arrive in Brazil in October and has the potential to start production this year.
Petrobas strategic plan outlines a production target of 2.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (mboe/d) in 2024, with a possible variation of plus or minus 4%.
Between April and June, the company reported a daily average production of 2.7mboe/d, marking a 2.4% increase from the same period in the previous year.
