Aiming to boost Brazil’s natural gas supply, the state-owned Petrobras issued tenders for two production platforms for its Sergipe Deepwater Project (SEAP), in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, about 100 km off the country’s coast.
Besides expanding Brazil’s availability of natural gas, Petrobras said the vessels will be strategic in opening a new production frontier in its Northeast region.
The new vessels – SEAP I and SEAP II – will be able to produce 120,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd). Petrobras said the oil in the Northeast region is “light, considered to be of good quality, between 38 and 41 degrees API.” Both units will also be able to process 18 million cubic meters of gas per day.
The SEAP I project covers the fields of Agulhinha, Agulhinha Oeste, Cavala, and Palombeta, located in the BM-SEAL-10 and BM-SEAL-11 concessions. Petrobras acts as the operator of the BM-SEAL-11 concessions – with 60% stakes, in partnership with IBV Brasil Petróleo LTDA (40%) – and BM-SEAL-10, where it holds 100% stakes.
The SEAP II project covers reservoirs belonging to the Budião, Budião Noroeste, and Budião Sudeste fields, located in the BM-SEAL-4, BM-SEAL-4A, and BM-SEAL-10 concessions, respectively. Petrobras is the operator of concessions BM-SEAL-4 – with 75% stakes in partnership with ONGC Campos Limitada (25%) – and BM-SEAL-4A and BM-SEAL-10, where it holds 100% stakes.
“The Sergipe Águas Profundas project stands out for its expressive reserves, with potential to boost the supply of natural gas in the country and reduce our dependence on imports of this input”, said Petrobras Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jean Paul Prates. “Another advantage is that gas is the crucial fuel for the energy transition. Not only for its versatility of application – as an energy source for the most diverse industries – and predictability of delivery, but mainly for its efficiency in emissions”, he added.
Petrobras believes that the project opens a new horizon for investments with a substantial volume of gas, bringing a series of opportunities for the sector and for the states of Sergipe and Alagoas. In addition, it is expected to enable “a new technological milestone” in the country, which is the implementation of a production project at water depths above 2,500 meters – reaching up to 3,000 meters – incorporating innovations, Petrobras said.
The announcement of this project falls in line with Petrobras’s new energy policy, where focus has now shifted to natural gas, biofuel, fertiliser and renewable assets.