Cidade de Maricá FPSO starts production at Lula field in the Santos basin

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Petrobras has begun operating the Cidade de Maricá FPSO in Lula field in the pre-salt layer of the Santos basin.

The FPSO is located about 270 km from the coast, at a water depth of 2,120 m. With a production capacity of up to 150,000 bopd and 6 MMcmgd, this is the seventh major definitive production system in the pre-salt layer of the Santos basin.

With this additional unit, the pre-salt layer of the Santos and Campos basins already accounts for 35% of Brazil’s oil production. The consolidation of the Santos basin’s production, which accounts for 70% of the extraction in this layer, has been taking place for a little more than five years, with the installation of a major platform every 9 months on average.

That production has proven to be among the best performances worldwide. The first four production systems, installed between 2010 and 2014, are still producing almost at full capacity (475,000 bopd, with only 19 producing wells).

The three most recent platforms, whose production is currently growing, also have the same good performance as the wells already in operation (205,000 bopd with only seven producing wells).

Two other major definitive production systems will become operational in 2016—Lula Central (Cidade de Saquarema FPSO) and Lapa (Cidade de Caraguatatuba FPSO).