With New Discovery Brazil Should Become Self-Sufficient in Gas

Petrobras off-shore platform Brazilian state controlled oil multinational Petrobras informed that the existence of large reserves of natural and condensed gas (very light oil) has been proved in the pre-salt layer (deep layer of rock) in Santos Basin. According to the organization, the main well, which is in bloc BM-S-24, is 290 kilometers (180 miles) away from the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

The discovery in the area, named Jupiter, was communicated to the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuel Agency (ANP) on Monday, January 21. Petrobras informed that there are still no estimates about the Jupiter reserves, but the area may have similar dimensions to Tupi, which had been announced at the end of last year as one of the main oil discoveries in the country.

"This field will help us reach independence in the sector," stated the minister of Mines and Energy, Edison Lobão, in Brasí­lia. "In terms of gas, there are gigantic proportions."

According to Petrobras, the existence of gas in a stretch of 120 meters of rock has been confirmed, at a depth of 7,400 meters (24,278 feet), being 2,187 meters (7,175) of water and 5,252 meters (17,231) of rock.

The statement also adds that the consortium that explores Jupiter, made up of Petrobras and Galp Energia, from Portugal, is going to continue investigating the dimensions of the new natural and condensed gas reserves. An evaluation plan of the discovery is under elaboration and, as soon as it has been concluded, it will be forwarded to the ANP.

The Exploration and Production director at the state-owned company, Guilherme Estrella, said that the reserves may guarantee self-sufficiency in gas. "It may, but we still have to do the tests. Anyway, it is unlikely that it will not to be confirmed.

"It is not our first well in the area, we have already drilled others and they have undergone tests and answered very well. It all shows that this may be a large deposit and, if that is true, it will contribute for Brazil to reach self-sufficiency." The possibility of there also being a large volume of oil has also not been discarded.

The equipment studying the area had to be removed, for security reasons, even before reaching the bottom of the reserves. Samples of the product were sent to the Petrobras Research Center (Cenpes), for quality analysis.

Now, said the director, Petrobras is analyzing the technical and financial conditions for extraction and transport of the gas. Among the options discussed is the transformation of the product into liquefied natural gas. Another team is studying the return of the equipment to the site to execute new exploration, which should take place up to the end of the year.

Still according to Estrella, there are great expectations for new discoveries at Santos Basin, as most of the 15 fields drilled presented successful results in the tests executed. He said he considers it premature to compare the production capacity of Jupiter and Tupi, but added that there are similarities between their dimensions.

ABr

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Has Blocked Overseas US$ 300 Million Stolen from the Public Coffers

The Brazilian government hopes to recover around US$ 300 million that were transferred abroad ...

Brazilian Minister Gets UN Award for Reducing Deforestation by 50%

The Brazilian minister for the Environment, Marina Silva, is among the seven winners of ...

Iranian Leader’s Visit to Brazil Takes the Gloss off Lula’s International Image

The only good thing to say about the visit to Brazil of Iran’s president, ...

Beyond City of God

As if from an Asian swell there has been a rising tide of Brazilian ...

Brazil’s Fallen Finance Minister Says He Did No Wrong

"During these three years in the government, I never supported misuse of public goods, ...

The Treacherous Songs of Brazil’s Lustful Sirens

Brazil can be a dangerous place for foreign dreamers. We have seen a good ...

Brazilian Marfrig Buys US OSI’s Poultry Business in Europe and Brazil

Brazil's meat processor Marfrig FrigorÀ­ficos e Comércio de Alimentos S/A announced Monday, June 23, ...

Jittery World Market Drags Brazil’s Bovespa 3.5% Down

The Bovespa, São Paulo, Brazil's stock exchange, worried at the worsening situation of the ...

Brazil Wants to Be Japan’s Supplier of Added-Value Goods

“We want to be once again the preferred destination of Japanese investments,” said President ...

Nothing Changes Says Brazil’s New Finance Minister

In his first press conference as Brazil’s new minister of finance, the president of ...