Petrobras starts production from Iracema discovery

Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has started production from the Iracema area on Block BM-S-11 in the Santos basin offshore Brazil.

The Cidade de Mangaratiba floating production, storage, and offloading vessel is the first unit deployed on the Iracema development of Lula field, and the fourth FPSO to date to have started up across the partners’ interests on Blocks BM-S-9 and BM-S-11 during the presalt basin’s first phase of development.

The unit is anchored in 2,200 m of water, about 240 km offshore. The 4-RJS-647 well, first to be interconnected to the unit, can produce more than 30,000 b/d. The unit will be connected to eight production wells and eight injection wells.

Cidade de Mangaratiba can process 150,000 b/d of oil and 283 MMscfd of gas, the highest production capacity FPSO to be brought online in the Santos basin. It can store 1.6 million bbl of oil. Plateau production is expected in 2016.

Oil produced from Iracema is high quality, medium density 30° gravity, Petrobras says. Gas not used for reinjection will be transferred to shore through the Santos basin pipeline system.

The unit was commissioned in September 2011 by a consortium between Schahin Group and Modec Inc. Transport from the BrasFels shipyard in Angra dos Reis, Brazil began in August (OGJ Online, Aug. 18, 2014).

Petrobras operates BM-S-11 with 65% interest. BG Group and Petrogal Brasil hold 25% and 10%, respectively. Petrobras operates BM-S-9 with 45% interest. BG Group and Repsol Sinopec Brasil hold 30% and 25%, respectively.