Brazilian oil company Petrobras said Wednesday it had discovered hydrocarbons in the Santos Basin pre-salt, in an appraisal well in the Aram block.
The well 3-BRSA-1387D-SPS is located 260 km from the city of Santos-SP, at a water depth of 1,979 meters.
The well is in progress and the oil-bearing interval was verified through wireline logging and fluid samples, which will be further characterized through laboratory analyses, Petrobras said.
Petrobras said that the data would allow evaluating the potential and directing the next exploratory activities in the area.
The Aram block was acquired in March 2020, in the 6th Bidding Round of the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), under the Production Sharing regime, with Pre-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) as manager. Petrobras is the operator of the block and holds an 80% share, in partnership with CNPC (20%).
Petrobras said that the consortium would continue operations to complete the project to drill the well to the expected depth and verify the extent of the new discovery, in addition to characterizing the conditions of the reservoirs found.
"The Aram block constitutes an important asset for exploring the remaining pre-salt potential, particularly in the Santos basin. In addition, the well presented a fluid of excellent quality, confirming the low levels of contaminants. This discovery augments the possibilities of expanding the accumulation discovered by the wildcat well 1-BRSA-1381-SPS, in this block," Petrobras said.
According to available information, Petrobras is using Constellation Oil Services' Brava Star drillship to drill the 3-BRSA-1387D-SPS well.