Parque das Baleias

Location and Overview

The Parque das Baleias (Whale Park) oil and gas complex is located in the northern part of the Campos Basin, offshore Espírito Santo, Brazil. It is situated in block BC-60, with water depths ranging from 1,260 meters to 1,426 meters.

Fields and Reserves

The Parque das Baleias complex comprises seven deep-water oil and gas fields:

• Jubarte
• Baleia Azul
• Baleia Franca
• Baleia Anã
• Cachalote
• Caxaréu
• Pirambú

Additionally, the area includes the Mangangá field, which is part of the unified New Jubarte field. The complex holds both pre-salt and post-salt reserves, estimated to contain more than two billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe).

Production and Operations

As of the first quarter of 2020, the aggregate production from the Parque das Baleias cluster was approximately 222,000 barrels of oil and six million cubic meters (mcm) of gas per day. About 71% of the total output came from the pre-salt reservoirs.

FPSOs and Infrastructure

The complex is operated using several Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) units:

• FPSO Cidade de Anchieta: Connected to the Baleia Azul, Jubarte, and Pirambu fields, commenced production in September 2012. It can process 100,000 barrels of oil and 3.5 mcm of gas per day.
• FPSO P-57: Operating in the Jubarte field, commenced operation in December 2010.
• FPSO P-58: Connected to the Baleia Franca, Cachalote, Jubarte, Baleia Azul, and Baleia Anã fields, commenced operation in March 2014. It has a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day and gas compression capacity of 6,000,000 m3 per day.
• FPSO Maria Quitéria: The newest FPSO, which started production in October 2024 ahead of its planned 2025 start. It is capable of producing up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day and processing up to 5 million cubic meters of gas daily. It is connected to eight producing wells and eight injection wells and is expected to account for about 40% of the field’s total production when fully operational.

History and Discoveries

• Jubarte Field: Discovered in 2001.
• Cachalote Field: Discovered in November 2002.
• Baleia Azul, Pirambú, and Caxaréu Fields: Discovered in 2006.
• Baleia Franca Field: Discovered in 2008.

The initial pilot phase production began in 2006, with commercial-scale production starting in 2010 following the commissioning of the Jubarte and Cachalote fields.

New Jubarte Field Development

In 2019, Petrobras and the Agencia Nacional do Petroleo (ANP) signed an agreement to unify several fields into the New Jubarte field, extending the concession term until 2056. This unified field includes the Baleia Azul, Baleia Franca, and Jubarte fields, as well as portions of the Cachalote, Caxaréu, Mangangá, and Pirambu fields. The FPSO Maria Quitéria is part of this development.

Environmental and Technological Aspects

The FPSO Maria Quitéria is equipped with technologies aimed at reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions by about 24% while improving operational efficiency. It also has the capacity to generate 100 MW of energy, sufficient to supply a city of 230,000 inhabitants.

Future Plans

Petrobras plans to continue expanding production in the Parque das Baleias area as part of its broader strategy. The company aims to install 11 new production platforms in Brazil’s pre-salt layer by 2027 and will invest $64 billion in exploration and production activities under its Strategic Plan for 2023–2027.