Petrobras’ proven pre-salt reserves up 43% in 2013

Petrobras’ proven pre-salt reserves, which extend from the south of the state of Espírito Santo to the state of Santa Catarina, are up 43% in 2013 compared to 2012. In 2013, 42 wells were drilled in the pre-salt layer, allowing reserves to increase. Since 2007, the company has been increasing its proven reserves. Currently, more than a quarter of the proven Petrobras reserves come from the pre-salt.

Additionally, last week, a second production well, with a production of 28,000 bbls of oil/day, on the Cidade de Paraty platform came on stream in the Lula field. This platform now produces a total of 58,000 bbls of oil/day. 
As a result, a new daily record was reached on 14 January where oil production from Petrobras operations in the pre-salt surpassed 390,000 bbls of oil/ day. The previous record was set on 24 December 2013, with 371,000 bbls of oil/day.

Of the two basins in production in the pre-salt, Campos and Santos, the latter contributed 51%, with nine production wells in operation. Average production per well, in commercial operation, in the pre-salt Santos Basin hub has been around 25,000 bbls of oil per well per day, which is higher than levels recorded in the North Sea (15,000 bbls of oil per well per day) and the Gulf of Mexico (10,000 bbls of oil per well per day).

In 2014, 17 new wells will be connected to platforms already installed in the pre-salt Santos Basin hub.

In the second half of 2014, two new platforms will come on stream in the pre-salt hub in the Santos Basin: the Cidade de Ilhabela platform in the Sapinhoá Norte field and the Cidade de Mangaratiba platform in the Iracema Sul field, which will increase daily production capacity by 300,000 bbls of oil/day. These two new platforms will be connected to another five new wells in 2014.