Petrobras discovers oil in ultradeep Potiguar basin exploration
Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) discovered an oil accumulation in Potiguar basin about 190 km from Fortaleza and 250 km from Natal in 2,196 m of water in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin.
Anhangá exploratory well 1-BRSA-1390-RNS in the POT-M-762_R15 concession found turbidite reservoirs of oil-bearing Albian age. Analysis of the reservoir was carried out through electrical profiles and oil samples, which will later be characterized by laboratory analyses.
Petrobras will continue exploratory activities in the concession to assess quality of the reservoirs, characteristics of the oil, and technical and commercial feasibility of the accumulation.
This is the second discovery in Potiguar basin in 2024 and was preceded by proof of hydrocarbons in the Pitu Oeste well in the BM-POT-17 concession about 24 km from Anhangá (OGJ Online, Jan. 30, 2024).
Petrobras intends to invest $7.5 billion in exploration by 2028 with $3.1 billion for the Equatorial Margin which extends from Amapá to Rio Grande do Norte. Fifty new exploratory wells are planned for the period with 16 drilled in the Equatorial Margin region.
In addition to the activities in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, in 2023 the company acquired new blocks in Pelotas basin in southern Brazil and stakes in three exploratory blocks in São Tomé and Príncipe, a country on the west coast of Africa.
Petrobras is the operator (100%) of POT-M-762_R15 and BM-POT-17 concessions.
Alex Procyk | Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).