Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor
LOS ANGELES, Mar. 9 -- Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), due to additional output from new production facilities, said it reached a company production record of 2,012,654 b/d on Mar. 4, surpassing by 12,420 b/d its previous high mark set on Dec. 25, 2007.
Petrobras said the new record is mainly the result of three new production platforms' going on stream recently in the Campos basin: the P-53 and Cidade de Niteroi platforms in Marlim Leste field and the P-51 platform in Marlim Sul.
"When they reach their peak production, the three new platforms will add 460,000 b/d to the installed domestic field capacity," Petrobras said, explaining that in full production the Cidade de Niteroi platform will produce up to 100,000 b/d, with platforms P-51 and P-53 contributing up to 180,000 b/d each.
Petrobras said that two other offshore platforms—P-52 and P-54 in the Roncador field of the Campos basin—also contributed to the record. It said P-52 reached its peak production in fourth-quarter 2008 and that P-54 has been increasing its production in the past few months.
Onshore production of some 230,000 b/d also contributed to the new production record, Petrobras said, adding that "the pace at which new production systems go on stream in Brazil will gain momentum in 2009."
In May, the consortium of Petrobras operator, 65%, and Petrogal 10% will start production of some 15,000 b/d from platform vessel BW Cidade de São Vicente.
The vessel will be used for the long-duration test of the Tupi accumulation in the Santos basin's presalt layer, analyzing "how the production reservoirs behave, fluid movement or draining, and submarine outflow."
Petrobras said two new oil platforms and one nonassociated-gas platform also will go online this year:
-- In May, platform vessel Cidade de Sao Mateus will go on stream. It was designed to produce up to 10 million cu m/day of gas in Camarupim field in the Espírito Santos basin.
-- In June, the consortium comprised of operator Royal Dutch Shell 50%, Petrobras 35%, and ONGC 15% will put the Espirito Santo FPSO into operation in the Espirito Santo portion of the Campos basin, producing up to 100,000 b/d.
-- In July, the consortium comprised of operator Chevron, 51.7%, Petrobras 30%, and Impex 18.3% will put the Frade FPSO online in the Campos basin, producing a potential 100,000 b/d.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].
