Norwegian operator Equinor has unveiled more details about its giant Pao de Acucar pre-salt development offshore Brazil, with plans to bring the gas condensate field in the prolific Campos basin Block BM-C-33 on stream in early 2027.

The BM-C-33 project finally gained traction after Brazil’s Congress last week approved a key legislation designed to create a more competitive framework for the country’s natural gas sector, which was deemed crucial for Pao de Acucar to move up the queue.

One day after the Equinor-led consortium approved the development concept for BM-C-33, the partners — including Petrobras and Repsol Sinopec — opted to waste no time and have applied to obtain an environmental licence with Brazilian federal regulator Ibama to install a large floating production, storage and offloading vessel in the area.

According to official documents obtained by Upstream, Equinor confirmed the planned FPSO will be able to process 16 million cubic metres per day of natural gas and 125,800 barrels per day of condensate for a period of 30 years.

It added the BM-C-33 project will consist of a total of 11 development wells, of which eight will comprise the initial phase, and three may be drilled and completed in the future if required.

Equinor expects part of the natural gas to be reinjected back into the reservoir for “operational flexibility”, adding output will be exported via a 22-inch pipeline from the FPSO to a new dedicated onshore facility inside the Petrobras-operated Cabiunas hub in Rio de Janeiro state.

BM-C-33 encompasses the Pao de Acucar, Gavea and Seat pre-salt discoveries. Together the trio is estimated to hold 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent, mostly gas, with the bulk located at Pao de Acucar.

According to the timeline proposed by Equinor in the Ibama permitting documents, the operator will spend this year working on the FPSO engineering project, with a potential contract award eyed for the first half of 2022.

The floater’s engineering, procurement, construction and installation contract is expected to cover a period of nearly four years.

The documents do not make clear if Equinor will use flexible or rigid lines for the subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines, only stating the BM-C-33 project will require 80 kilometres of pipeline.

The FPSO, which will feature a fibre optics cable for communication, is to be deployed in approximately 2820 metres of water, with production starting in February 2027.

Pao de Acucar will be the third offshore project to enter operation for Equinor in Brazilian waters. The company is already producing from the Peregrino shallow-water field and is due to begin output from the giant Bacalhau pre-salt field in the Santos basin in 2024.

Field Development

Equinor targets Pao de Acucar production start offshore Brazil – find out when