Petrobras starts production in Brazil's Búzios 2 area

State-run oil company Petrobras started Sunday production in Brazil's Búzios 2 area, in Santos basin with the P-75 platform.

Located around 210km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, at a depth of 2,000m, the platform has capacity to process up to 150,000b/d of oil and compress up to 6Mm3/d of natural gas. Petrobras said the unit will produce through 10 producing wells, using seven injection wells, and that relief vessels will help offload the oil production, while gas will be drained by pre-salt pipeline routes.

P-75 is Petrobras' fourth platform to start production in 2018, after the FPSO Cidade Campos dos Goytacazes in the Tartaruga Verde field, the P-67 in Lula field, and the P-74 in the Búzios 1. These platforms, together with P-76, which should go to the Búzios field in December, will conclude this year's six new systems.

During a press conference about Petrobras' Q3 results, the NOC's production, development, and technology director, Hugo Repsold, said the start of operations on the P-67 unit was delayed since additional measures were necessary to correct failures in the flaring system. He confirmed the P-76 unit also suffered delays and that it will probably start producing in January 2019.

"We still have challenges. P-67 was already supposed to be producing, but we are looking for safety, quality, integrity, and compliance in our operations. These values are important in order to guarantee a stable and efficient life for the platforms and also to help postpone possible interventions in the units. But by the end of the year the P-67 will start producing," Repsold said.

For the first quarter of 2019, Petrobras has two units planned to begin production, the P-77 platform in Búzios field, which has left the shipyard in China and is heading to Brazil, and the P-68 unit, which is being finished in a shipyard in Espírito Santo state for the Berbigão and Sururu fields.