Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – Equinor and its partners have committed to develop Phase 1 of the Bacalhau field in the Brazilian presalt Santos basin, at an estimated cost of $8 billion.
This follows the recent approval of the development plan by Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
First oil should flow in 2024, with a targeted production during Phase 1 of 220,000 b/d.
Petrobras discovered the field in 2012 although Equinor has been operator since 2016. The location is 185 km (115 mi) offshore São Paulo, in water depths of 2,050 m (6,725 ft).
The field extends across two licenses, BM-S-8 and Norte de Carcará. According to Equinor, the carbonate reservoir is of high quality, with light oil and minimal contaminants.
Development calls for 19 subsea wells tied back to one of Brazil’s largest FPSOs, with 2 MMbbl storage capacity. Stabilized oil will be offloaded to shuttle tankers while the gas will be re-injected in the reservoir.
MODEC, the FPSO contractor, will operate the vessel during its first year of operations, with Equinor then planning to take command until the end of the license period.
Steps taken to limit emissions include installation of a combined cycle gas turbine system to increase the energy efficiency of the power plant.
This should result in an efficient electrical power production and flexible heat supply, with a lifetime average CO2 intensity expected to be below 9 kg/bbl, compared with a global average (according to Equinor) of 17 kg/bbl.
Partners in the development are Equinor, ExxonMobil, Petrogal and Pré-sal Petróleo (government company, PSA Manager).
Among the other FEED/EPCI contracts already awarded are:
Subsea Integration Alliance, formed by Subsea 7 and OneSubsea, for SURF (subsea, umbilical, risers and flowlines)
Development drilling: Seadrill Management (drillship West Saturn)
Drilling and well services: Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Schlumberger Serviços de Petróleo Ltda
Onshore supply base: Triunfo Logistica Ltda.
06/01/2021
