Petrobras Starts Production at Largest FPSO to Operate Offshore Brazil

The floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit Almirante Tamandaré, built by SBM Offshore, has started production at Petrobras’ Búzios field, offshore Brazil.

This is the first high-capacity unit to be installed in the field, with the potential to produce up to 225,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and process 12 million cubic meters of gas daily, making in the largest FPSO to operate in Brazilian waters to date.

In total, 15 wells will be connected to the platform through a subsea infrastructure, including seven oil producers, six water and gas injectors, one convertible well (producer and injector), and one gas injector.

The FPSO Almirante Tamandaré is part of the sixth production system of Búzios and will contribute to the field reaching a production level of 1 million barrels of oil per day, expected by the second half of 2025.

Shortly, it is anticipated that Búzios will become Petrobras' largest production field, with the goal of reaching 2 million barrels per day by 2030.

The unit was leased from SBM Offshore and, in addition to having above-average capacity compared to industry standards, it is equipped with decarbonization technologies, such as a closed flare system, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

The FPSO also features heat recovery technologies that reduce the demand for additional energy.

The Búzios consortium is composed of Petrobras (operator), the Chinese partner companies CNOOC and CNODC, as well as PPSA, the company responsible for managing production-sharing contracts.