The consortium formed by the Spanish-Chinese oil company Repsol Sinopec, the Norwegian Equinor, and the Brazilian Petrobras will invest 9,000 million dollars (8,167 million euros) in the development of a gigantic natural gas field, located waters off the Brazilian coast, according to The companies have reported this Monday.
The deposit, identified as BM-C-33, is located 200 kilometers off the coast of the Campos Basin, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. It has a depth of up to 2,900 meters and has a heterogeneous carbonate reservoir rich in silica with caves, fractures and formations called “Bugs”, with an estimated capacity of close to 1,000 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Production will begin in 2028 with a floating production storage and offloading platform (FPSO) with the capacity to extract 16 million cubic meters of gas per day, which may represent about 15% of Brazil's gas demand. , according to consortium calculations.
“This is equivalent to the consumption of the entire State of São Paulo, demonstrating its potential to supply energy to Brazil to meet its growing demand”, as explained by Repsol Sinopec.
Repsol Sinopec operated the field during the exploration campaign when Gávea, Seat and Pão de Açúcar were discovered. “The Final Investment Decision in BM-C-33 is a milestone in our 25-year history in the country, reinforcing Brazil's strategic role in the global activities of Repsol and Sinopec. The field will be an important source of gas for the domestic market, helping to facilitate an orderly transition to a low-emissions future. It is the right moment, for the right project”, has assured Alejandro Ponce, CEO of Repsol Sinopec.
The BM-C-33 will be developed with an innovative concept in Brazil, using a floating production storage and offloading unit that will be able to process the produced gas and specify it for sale, without the need for additional processing.
For the first time, an exploitation of this type will be directly connected by tube to land through a 200 km offshore gas pipeline from the Floating Unit to Cabiúnas, in the city of Macaé (Rio de Janeiro). The liquids are expected to be unloaded by tanker trucks.
In addition, the Floating Unit will use combined cycle gas turbines that can significantly reduce carbon emissions from the field. The technology combines a gas turbine with a steam turbine to harness excess heat that would otherwise be lost.
As explained by Repsol Sinocpec in a statement, this will significantly reduce carbon emissions from the field, averaging less than 6 kilograms per barrel of oil equivalent (boe) over its useful life, which is approximately two-thirds less than the average for the industry.
These innovations can boost not only domestic gas production, but also the development of new technologies that allow emissions reductions from offshore activities.
