Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has started producing oil and natural gas through the Sepetiba floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO), marking startup of the second development phase of Mero field (Mero-2), offshore Brazil.
The field lies in the Libra block about 180 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the presalt area of Santos basin in a water depth of 1,800-2,100 m.
Sanctioned in June 2019, Mero-2 includes the Sepetiba FPSO with a production capacity of 180,000 bo/d and storage capacity of about 1.4 million bbl. The FPSO was constructed in China in June 2023 and arrived in Brazil in September. It is part of a production system that includes drilling and completion of eight producer wells and eight water and gas injection wells.
The FPSO has been designed for zero routine flaring to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, with associated gas reinjected into the reservoir.
With Mero-2, Mero field is expected to reach production capacity of 410,000 b/d. Two additional development phases—Mero-3 and Mero-4—are currently under construction. Each is expected to produce 180,000 b/d with start-up envisioned by 2025.
The unitized Mero field is operated by Petrobras (38.6%). Partners are TotalEnergies (19.3%), Shell Brasil (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda. (9.65%), and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA (PPSA) (3.5%).
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).
