Brazilian state-run oil group Petrobras has started drilling the Pitu Oeste well, which marks the restart of the company's search for oil and gas in the Equatorial Margin.
The drilling of the well, in the BM-POT-17 concession, located 53 kilometers off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, will take between three and five months.
Through the Pitu Oeste well, Petrobras will obtain more geological information about the area, which will allow it to confirm the extent of the oil discovery already made in 2014 in the Pitu well.
In October 2023, Petrobras received an operating license from IBAMA to drill two oil and gas exploration wells in deep waters in the Potiguar Basin, on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin.
Under the same environmental license, the company intends to drill the Anhangá well, in the POT-M- 762 concession, located 79 km off the coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, next to the Pitu Oeste well.
"Petrobras intends to contribute to the socio-economic development of the region, without forgetting the importance of being part of the efforts to promote national energy security. The Equatorial Margin will be an important asset even for global sustainability," said Jean Paul Prates, president of Petrobras.
If the economic feasibility of the concession is confirmed, it will be necessary to design and develop the entire operational structure for production and a new environmental licensing process will have to be carried out specifically for the production stage.
To remind, Petrobras's Strategic Plan 2024-2028 includes an investment of $3.1 billion for oil and gas exploration in the Equatorial Margin, where the company plans to drill 16 wells during this period.