Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has taken final investment decision to develop a natural gas and CO2 separation and reinjection unit for the Mero project in the ultra-deep Libra block offshore Brazil in the Santos basin, 180 km from Rio de Janeiro.
This pilot unit, using high pressure subsea separation technology (HISEP), will separate oil from CO2-rich gas at the bottom of the ocean and reinject the gas directly into the reservoir. The technology has the potential to reduce the amount of gas sent to the topside FPSO, thus enabling a reduction of GHG emissions intensity and an increase of field production capacity.
The subsea separation pilot unit will be connected to the Marechal Duque de Caxias FPSO (Mero 3 project), which is currently under construction.
The presalt Mero 3 project will be the first to use Petrobras’s HISEP process subsea following the Libra consortium’s previous pilot testing of HISEP technologies at the site (OGJ Online, Jan. 5, 2024).
The unitized Mero field is operated by Petrobras (38.6%) on behalf of partners TotalEnergies EP Brasil Ltd. (19.3%), Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltd, (19.3%), CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda. (9.65%), CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda. (9.65%), and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA (3.5%).