Petrobras approves more FPSOs for Santos basin presalt fields

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 7 -- Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) approved the installation of two floating production, storage, and offloading vessels for Guara Norte and Cernambi presalt Santos basin oil fields off Brazil.

Cernambi previously was known as the Iracema area.

The company said the FPSOs are part of the first production development phase of Guara Norte (Block BMS-09) and Cernambi (Block BMS-11) and will enable early production from these areas to start in 2014 compared with the previously proposed start of after 2014.

Each of the vessels will be designed to handle 150,000 bo/d and 8 million cu m/day of gas. The company expects to have the units converted and the modules built and integrated in Brazil with a target local content index above 65%.

Petrobras is the operator for both blocks and has a 45% interest in BMS-9 and a 65% interest in BMS-11.

BG Group 30% and Repsol Brasil SA 25% are its partneres in BMS-9. Its partners in BMS-11 are BG Group 25% and Galp Energia 10%.