The P-79 floating production unit departed on November 11 from the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea, bound for the Búzios field in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin. The platform will be towed to its location with crew on board to accelerate the start of production, with arrival expected in February next year.

Production Capabilities and Strategic Impact

The P-79 unit is capable of producing 180,000 barrels of oil and compressing 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day. Production start is scheduled for August 2026, which will increase the current installed production capacity of the Búzios field by approximately 15.6%, reaching around 1.3 million barrels per day when also considering the start-up of P-78 in December this year.

This represents the eighth unit out of twelve planned for the field. According to Renata Baruzzi, Petrobras' Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, the company expects to bring forward first oil by two months compared to what is outlined in their Strategic Plan.

Field Location and Current Operations

The Búzios field is located in ultra-deep waters of the Santos Basin at depths up to 2,100 meters, positioned 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. Six FPSOs are already in operation at the field: P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, Almirante Barroso, and Almirante Tamandaré.

In October, the field surpassed 1 million barrels of oil per day, making it Petrobras' largest producing field. The arrival of the manned platform follows a similar strategy used with the P-78, which has proven successful in reducing time to start production.

Technical Specifications and Construction

The P-79 project comprises 14 wells, including 8 producers and 6 WAG injectors, which utilize oil-and-gas alternating injection technology. The hull was built at Hanwha Ocean in Geoje-Si, South Korea, where the integration and commissioning of the topside modules were also carried out.

The topside modules were constructed across multiple countries, including China, Brazil, South Korea, and Indonesia, before being integrated at the South Korean facility. Renata Baruzzi recently visited the Hanwha Ocean shipyard together with Sylvia Anjos, Director of Exploration and Production, to authorize the unit's deployment to the Búzios field.

Baruzzi attributed the project's success to “the dedication of the entire Petrobras team, combined with supplier negotiations, detailed planning, and, above all, the discipline to deliver what was planned.”

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