Nordeste de Sapinhoá

Location

The Sapinhoá oil field, including the Nordeste de Sapinhoá area, is situated in the southern Brazilian Santos Basin, approximately 310 kilometres (190 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The field is in a water depth of about 7,065 feet (2,153 meters).

Operator and Ownership

The Sapinhoá oil field is operated by Petrobras, with ownership shared among Petrobras (45%), Repsol Sinopec Brazil (25%), and BG Group (30%).

Discovery and Development

• The field was discovered in 2008 and was initially named the Guará field.
• The block was awarded in the second licensing round in 2000.
• An Initial Extended Well Test started in 2010, followed by the declaration of commerciality in 2011.

Production

• The first oil production from the Sapinhoá field began in 2013.
• The field is served by two Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels:
  • Cidade de São Paulo FPSO: This FPSO has a production capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day and 176 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. It is connected to nine production wells and seven injection wells.
  • Cidade de Ilhabela FPSO: This FPSO has a production capacity of 150,000 barrels of oil per day and 212 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. It is part of the field's expansion.

Reservoir and Geology

• The oil and natural gas are produced from the pre-salt Guaratiba Group reservoir rocks.
• The oil produced is of high quality and medium density (30° API).

Infrastructure and Contractors

• The FPSOs were built and chartered by MODEC, Mitsui, and Mitsubishi.
• Technip supplied flexible pipes for oil production, gas lift, and gas injection.
• Saipem was responsible for the transportation, installation, and pre-commissioning of the gas export pipeline and related subsea equipment.
• Subsea 7 managed the engineering and installation of flowlines and umbilicals.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS)

• The FPSO Cidade de São Paulo is involved in CO2 injection for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). It injects around 0.7 million tonnes of CO2 per annum into the reservoir. This project is one of the deepest offshore CO2 injection wells in operation.

Production and Reserves

• The total proven reserves of the Sapinhoá oil field are estimated to range from 1,100 to 2,000 million barrels (170×10^6–320×10^6 m³).
• The field produces both light oil and natural gas, with gas not used for reinjection being transferred through the Lula-Sapinhoá-Mexilhão pipeline to the Monteiro Lobato Gas Treatment Unit.

Environmental and Technological Aspects

• The project involves advanced technological solutions, including deepwater operations and CCUS, which are critical for both oil recovery and environmental management.
• Petrobras has been a leader in offshore operational EOR projects and has significant experience in CCUS, having started CO2 injection for EOR in 1987.