Petrobras sets presalt-gas processing record

Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) achieved a record-high rate during September 2023 for its processing of natural gas volumes produced from the presalt Santos basin offshore Brazil.

The operator’s 20-million cu m/day Caraguatatuba (UTGCA) in Caraguatatuba, São Paulo, and 25.16-million cu m/day Cabiúnas (UTGCAB) in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, in September processed a combined 28.96 million cu m/day of presalt gas during the month, surpassing the previous monthly record of 27.27 million cu m/day hit in March 2022, Petrobras said.

The UTGCA plant specifically processed an average 9.8 million cu m/day of presalt gas volumes during the month, which in turn contributed to record utilization of the pipeline connecting the presalt region to the Mexilhão platform, or PMXL-1, installed about 145 km offshore Caraguatatuba, according to the operator.

Noting the difficulty processing presalt gas poses for the company, William França—Petrobras’ director of industrial processes and products—said improved utilization of the UTGCA and UTGCAB plants during September decisively contributed to the operator’s overall higher oil and gas production and supply to the market (OGJ Online, Oct. 17, 2023).

Presalt gas currently accounts for 77% of total volumes processed by the onshore UTGCA and UTGCAB plants, which receive both presalt and post-salt volumes from offshore fields via flow lines, Petrobras said.