Rio de Janeiro – Petrobras announced yesterday night (16) the discovery of light oil in a new production area that ranges from the North of Marimbá Field, in Campos Basin, in the post salt layer. The recoverable volume of oil is estimated at 25 million barrels.
“This new discovery will increase Marimbá field’s recoverable volume by 27%,” evaluated the state-owned oil company.
According to figures disclosed by Petrobras, the presence of light oil was discovered in 30-meter thick reservoirs with good porosity and permeability.
The oil specification is 29 degrees API – the international specifications for oil quality, according to which the higher the level, the lighter the oil.
The discovery took place after exploratory well 3-MA-32A was drilled, in shallow waters, on the north shore of Rio de Janeiro.
Petrobras attributed the “success” in drilling the new well to “revision of the area’s geological model and of the application of new seismic data interpretation techniques”. As the site already has installed infrastructure for production, the forecast is that the new well should be integrated to platform P-8 and should start producing in August next year – a period considered relatively short.
According to Petrobras, the discovery is the fruit of a strategy to intensify exploration of new areas for production close to units that are already installed, making maximum use of the existing installations, reducing production cost for the company and speeding up production of new volumes of oil.
*Translated by Mark Ament
