Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor, in partnership with Repsol Sinopec Brasil and Petrobras, has submitted declarations of commerciality and plans of development for two substantial fields in the BM-C-33 concession in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil.
Equinor is the operator with a 35% stake.
Equinor strengthens footing in Brazil with acquisition of Rio Energy | OilNOW
Located approximately 200 kilometres off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, in water depths of up to 2900 metres, the BM-C-33 concession boasts recoverable volumes exceeding one billion barrels of oil equivalent, of both natural gas and oil/condensate reserves. The proposed names for the fields are Raia Manta and Raia Pintada.
The development concept selected for these fields involves the installation of a single floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) with the capacity to process gas and oil/condensate to meet sales specifications directly, eliminating the need for onshore processing. The FPSO will have a production capacity of 16 million cubic metres of gas per day, with anticipated average daily exports of 14 million cubic metres of gas.
MODEC to supply fully electrified FPSO to Brazil for Equinor’s Campos basin cluster | OilNOW
“Raia Manta and Raia Pintada are significant natural gas fields that will play a key role in the ongoing advancement of the Brazilian gas market,” Equinor emphasized.
This project holds the potential to generate up to 50,000 local jobs throughout its lifecycle, thanks to various contracts in the supply chain, with an estimated total investment of approximately US$9 billion.
Equinor’s Country Manager in Brazil, Veronica Coelho, highlighted, “The fields have the potential to meet 15% of the total Brazilian gas demand when in production. This will contribute to Brazil’s energy security and economic development, enabling significant new job opportunities at the local level.”
Equinor advancing Brazil project with subsea contract to TechnipFMC | OilNOW
Moreover, the development of Raia Manta and Raia Pintada would be the first project in Brazil to treat gas offshore and connect it to the national grid without further onshore processing. Sales gas is planned to be transported through a 200-kilometre offshore gas pipeline from the FPSO to Cabiúnas, located in the city of Macaé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, while liquids will be offloaded by shuttle tankers.
The lifetime average CO2 intensity for the fields is projected to be less than six kilograms per barrel of oil equivalent, Equinor announced.
The company added that this low carbon intensity is achieved through the utilisation of combined cycle gas turbines on the FPSO, which harness excess heat that would otherwise be lost.
Repsol Sinopec initially discovered the two offshore fields in 2010, and Equinor took over as the operator in 2016. Production start-up for Raia Manta and Raia Pintada is expected in 2028.
