Petrobras's FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão begins Mero field production

The Alexandre de Gusmão platform ship started its operations on Saturday (24/05) in the Mero field, Libra block, in the Santos Basin, more than two months ahead of schedule in the business plan, marking another important advance for production in the Brazilian pre-salt. The unit, of the FPSO (floating production, storage and transfer unit) type, represents a significant milestone in the development of the field.

The platform, chartered by Petrobras, operator of the consortium, together with SBM Offshore for 22.5 years, has the capacity to produce 180 thousand barrels of oil per day, in addition to compressing and reinjecting 12 million m3 of gas daily. With its entry into operation, the installed production capacity will be expanded to 770 thousand barrels per day, an increase of 31%.

Twelve wells will be connected to the platform, interconnected through a robust subsea infrastructure. Of these, five are oil producers, six alternately water or gas injectors, and one convertible well, which will initially act as an oil producer and later as a gas injector. In order to maximize production and reduce risks, its wells are equipped with features for production and injection at previously selected intervals that can be changed remotely, by the platform, technology known as Intelligent Completion. FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão is the fifth platform in the field, joining the Pioneer units of Libra, Guanabara, Sepetiba and Marechal Duque de Caxias.

The platform is equipped with resources to operate in the future HISEP (High Pressure Separator), a technology patented by Petrobras, currently in qualification, which allows the subsea separation between the extracted oil and the associated gas rich in CO₂, which is reinjected directly into the reservoir.

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