Brazilian oil firm Petrobras said that the Guanabara FPSO installed in the Mero field, in the Santos Basin pre-salt, had reached its maximum production capacity, with the mark of 180 thousand barrels of oil per day (bpd).
The milestone was reached about eight months after the unit started operating. The FPSO, built and operated by Modec, arrived at the Mero field in late January 2022.
The Guanabara FPSO achieved the maximum output capacity with with four producing wells and three gas injectors. This is the first of four 'definitive' FPSOs scheduled for Mero, each capable of producing up to 180 thousand bpd of oil.
The Mero field holds not only the FPSO Guanabara but also the FPSO Pioneiro de Libra, which operates the Early Production System (SPA 2), and is currently producing 50 thousand bpd. SPA 2 is dedicated to the evaluation of the field's production behavior. With the two units in operation, the Mero field currently produces about 230 thousand bpd.
In the second half of this year, the consortium plans to install the second definitive platform in Mero: the FPSO Sepetiba, also capable of producing up to 180 thousand bpd. By 2025, the company will install another two units into operation in the field, totaling five systems that, together, will correspond to 770 thousand bpd of the installed capacity.
Mero is Brazil's third largest field by volume of oil in place, behind only Tupi and Búzios, also located in the Santos Basin pre-salt.
The operations of the unitized Mero field are conducted by the consortium operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda (19.3%), TotalEnergies EP Brasil Ltda (19.3%), CNODC Brasil Petróleo e Gás Ltda (9.65%), CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A (PPSA) (3.5%), as the Brazilian Government's representative in the non-contracted area.
