Alan Petzet
OGJ Chief Editor-Exploration
HOUSTON, Dec. 2 -- Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP) has authorized Petroleo Brasileiro SA to drill a 21,000-ft stratigraphic test in what Petrobras describes as the “northern area of the Santos basin’s presalt, contiguous to the Iara oil discovery.”
The SS-53 semisubmersible is to spud the well in mid-December outside the boundaries of blocks already bid, and Petrobras is to deliver well data to ANP after operations are concluded (see map, OGJ, June 16, 2008, p. 38).
“The region is eligible to compose the areas that will be the object of the Transfer of Rights with Compensation, once the Bill No. 5941/09 has been approved,” the Petrobras announcement said. “The intention is to get stratigraphic information to create a better geologic knowledge of the area and the basis to the future development of the area.”
A Petrobras-operated group drilled the 2008 Iara oil discovery in 7,314 ft of water 143 miles south of Rio de Janeiro and detected 30° gravity oil on a wire line test at 18,368 ft. The company has attributed 3-4 billion bbl recoverable to the Iara find, in which BG Group and Portugal’s Galp Energia were partners.
Iara lies just northeast of Tupi, largest of the Santos presalt discoveries, to which Petrobras attributes 5-8 billion boe recoverable.
Contact Alan Petzet at [email protected].
Photo from Odfjell Drilling.
