Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) started gas injection for the P-78 FPSO in Búzios field, Santos basin, about 180-230 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The vessel is permanently spread moored at a water depth of about 2,100 m. It is designed to produce up to 180,000 b/d of oil, 7.2 million cu m/d of gas, and features a minimum storage capacity of 2 million bbl.
Seatrium Ltd. performed topside fabrication, integration, and commissioning activities for the FPSO. The company readied critical systems for gas injection including the main process compressors, export compressors, and gas injection compressors. First gas injection occurred within 61 days of achieving first oil on Dec. 31, 2025.
The next major project milestone is completion of the delivery phase and final acceptance of the vessel by Petrobras.
With the P-78 coming online, installed capacity of the field will expand to about 1.15 million b/d. The project also enables gas exports to the continent via connection to the Rota 3 gas pipeline, increasing Brazil's gas supply by up to 3 million cu m/d.
About the Author
Alex Procyk
Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).