Petrobras begins oil production at Búzios 6 project in Santos Basin

Petrobras and its partners have initiated oil production at the Búzios 6 project via the P-78 floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit in the Búzios field, situated in the pre-salt layer of Brazil’s Santos Basin.

The Búzios field is located 180km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state in ultra-deep waters of more than 2,000m.

P-78, also referred to as Búzios 6, has been designed to produce 180,000 barrels (bbl) of oil and 7.2 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas daily.

The Búzios 6 development increases the field’s production potential to nearly 1.15 million barrels of oil per day (mbbl/d). It is also expected to enhance Brazil’s gas supply by up to 3mcm per day through an interconnection with the ROTA 3 gas pipeline.

The P-78 platform represents a new proprietary unit project, developed under the Basic Reference Project initiative. It is the seventh platform in production at the Búzios field.

It consolidates operational lessons from earlier units in the pre-salt layer. Changes to its contracting, construction and assembly were made under the FORTALECE Programme to enhance technical quality and efficiency.

The contract for P-78 mandated at least 25% local content, with ten out of the total 23 topside modules constructed at BrasFELS shipyard in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro.

The platform incorporates technologies aimed at reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. These include an exhaust gas recovery system, variable speed drives for pumps and compressors, and energy integrations in processing streams.

Petrobras president Magda Chambriard said: “With the first oil from the P-78 platform, we are starting the year already advancing towards our main goal for 2026: increasing Petrobras’ oil and gas production.

“We project producing 2.5mbbl/d throughout this year, and a large part of that will come from Búzios, the country’s largest field in terms of reserves and production. In addition, we are also expanding the supply of natural gas to the Brazilian market, another goal expressed in our business plan.”

The Búzios 6 project involved the drilling of 13 wells, including six producers and seven injectors, equipped with intelligent completion systems for better production management.

Rigid pipelines are used for production, injection and export, while flexible pipelines serve other functions.

The P-78 FPSO measures 345m in length and 180m in height.

It arrived in Brazil from Singapore in October 2025, bringing commissioning and operations teams aboard to avoid additional stops during transit. This approach improved safety and operational readiness, according to Petrobras.