Equinor, Repsol Sinopec Brasil, and Petrobras have taken the investment decision to develop the BM-C-33 project in Brazil. The investment is approximately USD 9 billion.
Located in the Campos Basin, BM-C-33 comprises three different pre-salt discoveries – Pão de Açúcar, Gávea and Seat – containing natural gas and oil/condensate recoverable reserves above one billion barrels of oil equivalent.
The concept selected for BM-C-33 is based on an FPSO (Floating production storage and offloading unit), capable of processing gas and oil/condensate and specifying these for sale without a need for further onshore processing.
The FPSO’s production capacity will be 16 million cubic meters of gas per day, with average exports expected of 14 million cubic meters of gas per day. Start-up is planned in 2028.
"BM-C-33 is one of the main projects in the country to bring new supplies of domestic gas, being a key contributor to the further development of the Brazilian gas market. Gas exported from the project could represent 15% of the total Brazilian gas demand at start-up. Its development will also contribute to the energy security and economic development, enabling a lot of new job opportunities locally,” says Veronica Coelho, Equinor’s Country Manager in Brazil.
BM-C-33 will be Equinor’s second FPSO in Brazil using combined cycle gas turbines, significantly reducing carbon emissions during operations, Equinor said.
The technology will also be applied in Bacalhau, in the Santos Basin, and it combines a gas turbine with a steam turbine to take advantage of the excess heat that would otherwise be lost. By implementing this technology, the average CO2 intensity of BM-C-33 over its lifetime will be lower than 6 kilos per barrel of oil equivalent.
Also, Equinor said that the BM-C-33 will be the first project in Brazil to treat the gas offshore and be connected to the national grid without further onshore processing. The sales gas is planned to be exported through a 200 kilometers offshore gas pipeline from the FPSO to Cabiúnas, in the city of Macaé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Liquids are planned to be offloaded by shuttle tankers.