April 2012
Supplement
Developing Brazil’s presalt giants: European riser technology meets the challenge
Brazil’s offshore claims some of the world’s most prolific oil and gas regions. Predominant among them is the Santos basin, where giant petroleum deposits have been discovered below a salt layer that in places is over 2.5 km thick. In addition to the obvious challenges of reaching and completing these presalt reservoirs, drillers faced water depths over 2,000 m and locations over 300 km from shore. Nevertheless, with a prize this valuable—some estimates exceed 20 billion bbl of oil equivalent—the engineering and technology feats required were deemed worth it.
