Petrobras finds oil in Espirito Santo pre-salt layer
Petroleo Brasileiro -- Petrobras -- informed the National Petroleum Agency (NPA) that it has completed the drilling
of two new wells in the pre-salt layer off the coast of Espirito Santo and proved an expressive discovery of light
oil (30 degrees API) in the area called Parque das Baleias.
The recoverable volume of the discoveries, made in pre-salt reservoirs located underneath the Baleia Franca, Baleia
Azul, and Jubarte heavy oil fields, is estimated between 1.5 and 2 bn barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
The 6-BFR-1-ESS and 6-BAZ-1DB-ESS wells were drilled nearly 80 km off the coast and five and six km to the north and
to the south, respectively, of discovery well 1-ESS-103A, located in the pre-salt section under the Jubarte heavy oil
field, which has been producing, at a high flow, since last September.
In these two wells, the reservoirs were discovered under a layer of up to 700 meters of salt and at depths ranging
from 1,348 and 1,426 meters from the water line. The reservoirs are located 4,200 to 4,800 meters below sea level and
have oil-bearing porous thicknesses of 190 and 300 meters, proving the major potential of the discoveries.
So far, six wells have been drilled in the Espirito Santo pre-salt layer, all of which successfully. With the new
discoveries, the total estimated volume of oil in the Parque das Baleias area, including the reservoirs located above
and below the salt layer, already adds up to some 3.5 bn boe.
The excellent results achieved by these two drillings, the excellent Long Duration Test (LDT) responses obtained from
pioneer well 1-ESS-103A, and the logistics facilities already installed and currently being installed in the area,
led Petrobras to heighten the studies to accelerate pre-salt production at Espirito Santo.