Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) and its co-venturers have started oil production at the fourth project in Mero, raising the deepwater field’s capacity to 770,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Mero-4 will connect 12 wells to the new Alexandre de Gusmão floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, which has an output capacity of 180,000 bpd. The fourth development will also enable 12 million cubic meters (423.78 million cubic feet) of gas compression a day. The consortium approved the project August 2021.
“In order to maximize production, the wells are equipped with intelligent well completion technology, which enables the remotely [sic] switching between production and injection wells via platform”, co-owner CNOOC Ltd. said in an online statement.
“Mero4 project is also equipped with resources to operate the HISEP (High Pressure Separator), which allows underwater separation between the extracted oil and the associated gas and reinjects the gas into the reservoir. The HISEP will simultaneously boost production and reduce emission”, the Chinese state-backed company added.
Mero is part of the Libra block. Brazil’s state-owned Petrobras operates the field with a 38.6 percent stake. Shell PLC and TotalEnergies SE each own 19.3 percent. China National Petroleum Corp. and CNOOC each hold 9.65 percent. The Brazilian government’s Pré-Sal Petróleo SA has the remaining 3.5 percent. The Libra production sharing contract was awarded December 2013.
The newest FPSO sits 180 kilometers (111.85 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin. The vessel’s location has a water depth of about 2,000 meters (6,561.68 feet), according to Shell.
Mero now has four operational FPSOs. Guanabara (Mero-1) came onstream 2022, followed by Sepetiba (Mero-2) in 2023 and Marechal Duque de Caxias (Mero-3) in 2024.
“Mero-4 is the latest example of how we are working with our partners to unlock value from world-class reservoirs, sustaining material liquids production and providing for the world’s current energy needs”, Shell upstream president Peter Costello said in a separate press release.
Mero-4 is part of Shell’s pledge earlier this year to deliver a total peak production of over one million barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed) from upstream and integrated gas projects between 2025 and 2030.
“Our Brazil portfolio features long-life assets with high flow rates, resulting in some of our most competitive barrels on both operating cost and carbon footprint”, Costello added.
Shell says it is the second-biggest oil and gas producer in Brazil, behind Petrobras.
TotalEnergies said separately Mero-4 will contribute to its goal of growing production by three percent between 2024 and 2030. Brazil contributed 153,000 boed to the French company’s production last year. TotalEnergies says it has 11 licenses in the South American country, four of which are operated.
Source: By Jov Onsat from Rigzone.com