Drilling the first well on the Equatorial Margin should take five months, says Petrobras.
The president of the state-owned company, Magda Chambriard, affirms that exploration in the region is part of a strategy to democratize access to energy in Brazil.
247 - The president of Petrobras, Magda Chambriard, stated that the drilling of the first oil well on the Equatorial Margin should take approximately five months to complete. This information was given during the OTC Brasil event, held in Rio de Janeiro.
According to the newspaper report. The GlobeThe licensing request submitted by the state-owned company to Ibama covers the pioneer well — the first to be drilled — and three other contingent wells that may be explored later.
“The license for this well is limited to this initial well. When we applied for the license back then, we requested permission to drill one initial well and three more contingent wells. We are not yet discussing the contingent wells. The license application covers all three contingent wells. We will have to wait. Therefore, we need to wait for the result of the first one,” Chambriard explained.
The executive emphasized that Petrobras is conducting the project cautiously, aiming to better understand the potential of the Equatorial Margin before moving on to the next stages. "As we drill, we will begin to get a sense of what will be needed," she added.
Democratization of access to energy
Magda Chambriard highlighted that Petrobras' expansion plan aims to ensure that access to energy is broadened in all regions of the country. "Brazil is a continental country and has oil potential from North to South, with Pelotas being part of this effort. We have to democratize access to energy from North to South," she stated.
The company president also commented on the technological advancements that have increased the efficiency of the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré platform, located in the Búzios Field in the Santos Basin, which is part of Brazil's pre-salt layer. “Currently, the capacity is 270 barrels per day on the Almirante Tamandaré. It's a platform with a capacity of 225 barrels that is increasing to 270 barrels without new investments. This is happening at a time of falling oil prices. We are facing this with technology and resilience,” she emphasized.
Búzios Field and new investments
The executive revealed that Petrobras projects a production capacity of up to 2 million barrels per day in the Búzios Field, as new platforms come online. "We need to wait for the P-79, P-82, P-84 and P-85 platforms, and further on, Búzios 2," she explained.
International expansion remains under review.
Despite the current focus on the Equatorial Margin, Chambriard assured that Petrobras maintains its interest in investing in projects in Africa, especially in Namibia. "We are still studying the investment in Namibia. There is a lot of research to be done, and to enter that market, it has to be worthwhile to invest in a lot of research," he stated.
