Equinor starts drilling major gas development in Brazil

Equinor started the drilling phase for the Raia project in the pre salt of the Campos Basin, Brazil. This marks a key milestone for the partnership as the projects progresses towards planned start up in 2028.

The Valaris DS‑17 drillship started drilling operations on 24 March. The drilling campaign includes six wells in the Raia area, located around 200 km offshore the coast of Brazil in water depths of around 2,900 m.

The Raia project is operated by Equinor (35%), in partnership with Repsol Sinopec Brasil (35%) and Petrobras (30%). Drilling activities build on the companies’ combined competence in deepwater operations, including previous experience on the Bacalhau field, where the DS‑17 also took part in the drilling campaign.