Petrobras puts FPSO in production mode earlier than planned

Brazil’s state-owned energy giant Petrobras has started production from a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit working in the pre-salt Santos Basin in Brazilian waters.

While confirming that the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão in the Mero field kicked off operations on May 24, 2025, Petrobras disclosed that the feat was accomplished more than two months ahead of the schedule foreseen in its business plan.

With the new FPSO producing a little under three months after reaching Brazil following a months-long journey from China, the field’s installed capacity is set to increase from 590,000 to 770,000 barrels per day, representing a 31% increase.

Chartered by Petrobras from SBM Offshore under a 22.5-year contract, the unit has the capacity to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day and process 12 million cubic meters of gas per day. It is the field’s fifth platform, joining the Pioneiro de Libra, Guanabara, Sepetiba, and Marechal Duque de Caxias units.

According to the Brazilian major, 12 wells will be connected to the platform, linked by a robust subsea infrastructure. Five of these will be oil-producing, six will alternately inject water or gas, and one is slated to be a convertible well, initially acting as an oil producer and later as a gas injector.

The wells boast a technology known as intelligent completion thanks to which production and injection can be done at previously selected intervals, which can be changed remotely by the platform. This is expected to maximize production and reduce risks.

Furthermore, the unit is said to be equipped with resources to operate the high-pressure separator (HISEP) in the future. As explained by the Brazilian giant, this patented technology, currently under qualification, enables the subsea separation of the extracted oil and the associated CO2-rich gas, which is reinjected directly into the reservoir.

Discovered in 2010, the unitized Mero field is located in ultra-deep waters (2,100 meters) approximately 190 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

The field is governed by members of the Libra production sharing contract (PSC). This entails Petrobras as the operator and 38.6% interest owner, Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNOOC (9.65%), CNPC (9.65%), and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA). In addition to managing the contract, the latter acts as the Brazilian government’s representative in the non-contracted area with a 3.5% stake.

Earlier this month, the Brazilian giant made an oil discovery in another part of the Santos Basin, the Aram block. As disclosed, the presence of “high-quality” oil with no contaminants was identified in the 3-BRSA-1396D-SPS exploratory well.