Exploration and production to guarantee the energy needed by society
We operate in exploration and production of oil and gas in Brazil keeping our commitments for sustainability
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Our operation in deep and ultra-deep waters
Como é feita a extração
But, after all, how oil is extracted offshore?
1. Exploration
In the O&G industry, exploration and production are essencial for business. And it all starts with acquiring the exploration rights of some area. In Brazil, oil exploration contracts are governed by three Regulatory Frameworks: concession, production sharing and transfer of rights.
With this in hand, we begin studying the area through geological and geophysical assessments. And we go deep: our geoscientists analyze everything from the local tectonic movements and the behavior of fluids—oil, gas, and water—in the reservoir, to the characteristics of the region’s rocks, to understand how and when they were formed. Once all this is done, we use advanced technology to identify the most likely locations to find oil and the ideal positions for a first well.
2. Production Development
At this stage, we begin planning and contracting the production systems, including platforms, subsea systems, drilling and interconnection of wells, and more.
By evaluating natural, maritime, and economic variables, new questions and decisions arise: how many wells will be drilled? What will be the best artificial lift system to use? What type of platform will be installed?
After planning and executing these details, we start oil production.
3. Production:
And what happens when a production system comes to an end?
We study viable solutions to act responsibly from the beginning to the end of the production cycle. In order to do this, we use a lot — A LOT! — of technology to perform the decommissioning of our platforms in a way that is safe for people and the environment.
De onde vem o petróleo
Where does the Petrobras oil come from?
Campos Basin
Here, at Campus Basin, we developed technology for exploration and production in deep and ultra-deep waters. The region is one of the main and most productive offshore oil and gas basins in the world since the 1970s.
It was the birthplace of several innovations that revolutionized the global market and made us great offshore oil and gas producers.
Santos Basin
The Santos Basin has always been ahead of its time. Our first activities in the region began in the 1970s, but the technology and knowledge of the time limited our oil production potential. The solution, then, was to pause our operations and develop our own pioneering technologies and establish partnerships.
Decades later, we returned to invest in drilling and well production in the Santos Basin. In 2009, we produced the first pre-salt oil in the Basin, which currently comprises the largest producing fields in the country, such as Tupi and Búzios.
Check out some of the main oil fields in the Santos Basin
National presence that becomes a world reference
In addition to the Campos and Santos basins, we also explore and produce oil and gas in 17 other important basins in Brazil. In total, there are more than 100 production platforms installed.
We explore in search of new discoveries
FPSO
FPSOs: the ultimate and most modern oil production system
After extraction, the oil needs to go through a process for treatment, collection and shipment to logistics terminals. With the creation of FPSOs, all of this is done at high seas.
FPSOs are floating production, storage and transfer units, and their acronym means: Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading. As they do not require the installation of oil pipeline infrastructure, because they transfer oil to tankers, FPSOs have become the most efficient and modern alternative to supply the energy demand.
We are investing in the deployment of 8 new production systems from 2026 to 2030, with 7 already under contract. Additionally, there are another 10 projects from 2030 onwards. We operate as the operator of all these fields, with the exception of Raia, operated by Equinor.
Os FPSOs são plataformas flutuantes e sua sigla vem do inglês: Floating Production, Storage and Offloading. Somos a maior operadora de FPSOs da indústria mundial, e nosso pioneirismo só cresce. Embarque para conhecer as FPSO e outros tipos de plataformas de petróleo, tirar dúvidas, conferir nossas tecnologias e descobrir como é a rotina embarcada.
Use of FPSOs to explore pre-salt
The pioneering spirit of the units is also focused on sustainability. A growing number of Petrobras FPSOs already use CCUS and Hisep technologies to separate CO2 from extracted oil and reinject it directly into the soil. This process considerably reduces the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, and it also increases the productivity of oil wells.
Currently, the 23 platforms operating in the pre-salt fields are equipped with technologies to reduce carbon emissions, increasing production efficiency. In addition, pre-salt fields have lower emissions than the global average. The resilience of low-cost, low-emission oil production will secure the resources needed for a fair and sustainable energy transition.
Futuro mais sustentável
Energy Transition Challenges
The energy transition presents challenges related to social inclusion and environmental sustainability. Exploration and Production (E&P) activities need to reconcile economic objectives with improved carbon efficiency in our E&P operations.
Between 2015 and 2024, we have already achieved a 26% reduction in GHG emission intensity in E&P activities. This result comes from actions related to energy efficiency improvements, loss reduction and greater gas utilization with reduced flaring, as well as improvements in emissions accounting and inventory.
X
All Electric: This concept represents the new generation of our FPSOs. The fully electrified floating units are even more energy efficient than traditional FPSOs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20%. Our purpose is to electrify all platforms in the coming years.
World's Largest CCUS Program: We are leaders in CO2 capture, utilization and geological storage (CCUS). The exclusive technology reinjects the gas into the reservoir and prevents release into the atmosphere. In 2022, we reached the record of 25% of the total injected by the global industry: 11 million tons!
Pré-sal
Now it's your turn to explore the pre-salt
Get ready to venture into ultra-deep waters and discover how a story spanning more than 100 million years now shapes the future of our operations and the energy and economic landscape of Brazil.
Transição energética
Energy transition and security are priorities for the global energy industry
Just energy transition must reduce both environmental and social impacts of our activities.
We expanded our E&P areas and transformed our operations to ensure that everyone has opportunities to access energy, considering cost, distribution infrastructure and a minimum adaptation time.
Our strategic planning sees the new E&P frontiers as fundamental activities to meet energy demand, while providing resources for a fair, safe and accessible transition in low carbon energy generation.
Glossary - Do you have any doubts about any term? We explain below
The barrel is a unit of volume measurement equivalent to 158.98 liters (or 0.15898 m³). The Barrel of Oil Equivalent (BOE) is a unit used to convert natural gas volumes into thermal equivalence with crude oil, enabling comparisons between different energy sources.
Technology that brings together carbon capture, utilization and storage, with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. CO₂ can be reused in industrial processes or safely stored in the subsurface.
The Onerous Transfer Agreement is a contract executed in 2010 between the Federal Government and Petrobras, which granted the company the right to produce up to 5 billion barrels of oil in the pre-sal, with 100% participation, in exchange for payment to the Federal Government.
Legal framework that allows Petrobras to operate in the oil and gas sector, including exploration, production and refining activities.
Set of activities to permanently cease operations of a production system, when it becomes unviable or reaches the end of its useful life.
Energy efficiency is using less energy to perform the same activity, avoiding waste. It is one of the pillars of just energy transition and emissions reduction.
Activities conducted to identify and assess oil and gas reservoirs, support exploration of new areas and guide the management of Petrobras' assets.
Greenhouse gases (GHG), such as CO₂, contribute to global warming. Reducing their emissions is essential and can be complemented by offsets and technologies such as CCUS.
HISEP is our patented technology that separates oil and gas at the seabed, enabling gas reinjection and reducing GHG emissions per barrel produced.
Measure of the amount of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases emitted in the production, distribution and use of energy contained in a fuel.
Contractual framework in which the oil produced is divided between the Federal Government and the companies. In the pre-sal, Petrobras can be selected as operator with at least 30% participation.
Flare, or flaring, is a safety system that burns residual gases in natural gas units and refineries, preventing their direct release into the atmosphere and reducing risks and environmental impacts.
Technique used to return CO₂ present in natural gas to the reservoir, preventing its emission and enabling oil production with lower carbon intensity.
Set of methods used to bring oil or gas from the bottom of the well to production facilities. It can be natural, by pressure, or artificial, with the addition of energy.
Process of changing the energy matrix towards cleaner and renewable sources, ensuring universal access to energy, in a balanced and sustainable manner, in the present and in the future.
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