Petrobras Begins Drilling First Oil Well in Aram Block, Pre-Salt Santos Basin, Boosting Brazilian Economy

Petrobras Starts Drilling Oil Well in Aram Block, Acquired by the Stat in 2019, in Pre-Salt Santos Basin. The Well is One of Six Drilled This Month and Will Contribute to the Advancement of the Brazilian Economy in the Oil and Gas Industry

The major state-owned company Petrobras has started drilling the first oil well in the Aram block, in the pre-salt Santos Basin. The drilling is being conducted in water depth of 1,904 meters using the Brava Star rig from Constellation. The news of the drilling in the Santos Basin’s pre-salt was announced by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). The oil well will help boost the Brazilian economy.

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Aram Block Was Acquired by Petrobras in 2019

Petrobras acquired the Aram block in the Santos Basin during the 6th Round of Auctions in the Production Sharing Regime, where it purchased an 80% stake in partnership with the Chinese company CNODC Brazil Oil and Gas Ltda, which holds a 20% stake. At the time, Petrobras paid R$ 4 billion for the block.

The drilling of the oil well in Aram, in the pre-salt Santos Basin, began on August 24, but was only announced on Thursday (26) by the ANP. With Petrobras’ new oil well in the pre-salt, Brazil has resumed activity levels in exploration not seen since the pre-pandemic period, indicating that the well is boosting the Brazilian economy.

In total, the oil sector has already drilled five wells in the country just in August, reaching a record level not seen since May 2019.

Petrobras Launches FPSO Carioca Operations

On Monday (23), Petrobras announced that it has commenced oil and natural gas activities at the FPSO Carioca, the first from the Sépia field in the pre-salt Santos Basin. The platform has the capacity to process up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day and can also compress up to 6 million m³ of natural gas, according to a market statement.

The FPSO is located 200 km off the coast of RJ at a depth of 2,200 meters. The project also includes connecting four injection wells and seven production wells to the platform, and the oil production will be transported by shuttle tankers, while the gas production will be moved through the pre-salt gas pipeline routes in the Santos Basin.

It is noteworthy that the project is also equipped with a carbon dioxide removal system from the produced gas and a reinjection system in the reservoir, which should reduce the emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere and improve oil recovery.

Firjan Foresees Economic Growth with New Perspectives for the Brazilian Oil and Gas Market

According to a Firjan report, the RJ oil and gas sector will receive R$ 50 billion in investments over the next three years, potentially generating more than 60,000 jobs and boosting the Brazilian economy.

The document indicates a development in the sector after a year of activity decline due to the pandemic. Rio de Janeiro accounts for 80% of the national total and this figure continues to rise.