45 Petrobras Oil Production Platforms in the Northeast and Southeast Will Be Shut Down This Month

After Petrobras Halts Oil Production in Six Platforms in the Campos Basin, RJ, another sad news was issued by the state-owned company through a statement to the oil workers’ unions. The oil company expects this month of April to hibernate at least 45 oil and natural gas production platforms located in the Northeast and Southeast. The news came amid a pandemic that has generated global chaos, where the shutdown of the units may lead to layoffs and personnel reallocation.

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Due to the New Measure to Cut 200,000 Barrels Per Day (bpd) Announced Earlier This Month by Petrobras to Face the Crisis, in addition to these 45, many other platforms may be shut down.

So far, the hibernation of oil platforms located on the coast of Rio de Janeiro has been small, but it may be that the state company continues its reduction in Rio de Janeiro until the 200,000 bpd target is reached.

The 45 Petrobras platforms that are shut down, located in the three basins — Campos in Rio de Janeiro, Ceará-Piauí, and Potiguar, produce together an average of 10,000 bpd of oil, which means less than 10 percent of 200,000 bpd (the cut target).

In addition to these, nine more Petrobras platforms belonging to four fields in the Ceará-Piauí basin will be hibernated, which together produce less than 2,400 bpd.

So far, the most affected state by Petrobras’s decision has been Rio Grande do Norte, with twenty-four hibernated oil platforms, which together total 2,400 bpd.

It is also expected that six production units in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin will be hibernated.

Although not yet confirmed by Petrobras, employees reported the shutdown of two platforms installed in the Barracuda field in the Campos Basin, P-43 and P-48, which together total 43,500 bpd.

In a statement to the oil workers’ union, Petrobras offers three alternatives to employees who work on the platforms that will be temporarily shut down, which are internal reallocation according to the company’s needs, participation in the voluntary dismissal program, and individual termination by agreement.