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New in 2015!

a 50,000 bo/d processing capacity and 141.25 MMcf/d (4 MMcu m/d) gas injec- tion capacity. Most of the produced gas will be re-injected into the reservoir for pressure maintenance and a small part

Libra’s exploration will be consumed during operations.

Field of View

According to the original Libra

The giant Libra feld has many production-sharing contract, the explor- challenges, sitting in Brazil’s atory phase would run through December challenges deepwater pre-salt. Claudio 2017. The extended well test, a key part of the approxi-

Paschoa take a look at the mately $450 million explora- development plans.

tion development plan, is to begin in 2016, at the latest, as

Field of View is a new monthly section the partners in the Petrobras- that highlights an offshore oil and gas led consortium are hoping to feld, tracking its development, and the anticipate production start-up challenges and solutions involved. in 2017. “The idea is to do this as etrobras, Brazil’s national operator, is a fast-track phased develop-

P beginning its exploration of the mas- ment based on robust and sive Libra feld in the ultra-deep Santos fexible solutions,” Pedrosa says. “We’ll

Basin with plans that include seismic learn from the frst phase. Libra is too big. reprocessing, two exploration wells and It’s impossible to do this kind of thing an extended well test. with just one unique project develop-

The Libra pre-salt feld, 183km (113mi) ment. You have to do it in parts. We off Rio de Janeiro, has 8-12 billion bbl are going to learn a lot from each phase estimated reserves, but offers a number of and fnd the best solutions for the next technological and logistical challenges. phase. We need to have solutions based

Ultra-deepwater pre-salt developments on robustness and fexibility,” Pedrosa are considered to be among the most The Libra prospect and the pre-salt region. Image from Mercopress.

challenging projects for the industry.

According to plans laid out during

Drilling through up to 7km of rock drilling technologies may have failed. the Rio Oil & Gas 2014 conference by and thick salt layers requires advanced MPD has also proven to be capable

PPSA CEO Oswaldo A. Pedrosa Jr., the technology, such as managed pressure of increasing productivity, improving

Libra development will use advanced drilling (MPD), to avoid wellbore creep- drilling safety and possibly even giving seismic acquisition technology for a ing and deformation. There is therefore a the operator new options for circulating new seismic survey covering the entire demand for drillships with MPD capabil- gas kicks. Until recently, Weatherford area of the prospect. Existing 3D seis- ity, as well as a need for better seismic was the sole manufacturer of the MPD mic data will be reprocessed to improve imaging under the salt, improved recov- system, although Aker Solutions is now imaging in critical areas. The original ery methods, such as the water-alternat- also in the market after its 2013 acquisi- seismic survey was done by CGG and ing-gas (WAG) injection system, and for tion of Managed Pressure Operations. they will be in charge of reprocessing custom-built high-capacity FPSOs. In October, Petrobras announced that and the new survey, which is already

Libra encompasses 1548sq km (598sq the Libra Consortium had signed a letter under way. mi). It was discovered through well of intent with Odebrecht/Teekay (OOG- 2-ANP-0002ARJS in 2010. A consortium, Two exploration wells were drilled in Teekay), winner of a tender, for the char- comprising Petrobras (40% interest) and 2H 2014 and will be completed by 2015. ter of an FPSO designed for the extended partners Shell (20%), Total (20%), China These two wells are planned for the well test campaign at the Libra feld. The

National Offshore Oil Corp. (10%) and frst phase of the Minimum Exploration delivery of the FPSO and the start-up of

China National Petroleum Corp. (10%) Program (known by Portuguese acronym the frst extended well test are scheduled won the license to develop the feld in PEM) agreed with Brazil’s National Oil, for 4Q 2016. The plan is to conduct tests the October 2013 bidding round and Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP). in several distinct areas of the block, in agreed to pay a signing bonus of about Petrobras is targeting three or more fully order to evaluate the production perfor-

US$7 billion. MPD capable ultra-deepwater rigs for mance and acquire additional data on the

Petrobras is the sole operator and the Libra in an ongoing tender. reservoirs.

Brazilian government’s share of the proft MPD was used successfully on wells Future production systems will be oil (oil produced after initial develop- at the Franco South, Lara and Lula designed based on these data. For each ment costs are paid) is 41.65%. The Pré- North felds. The technology proved test, two wells will be connected to the

Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) was created as a to be very effcient in the complicated FPSO: one oil producer and one gas government mechanism solely dedicated deviated entrances to pre-salt reservoirs, injector. The extended well tests will be to manage and audit pre-salt feld devel- making these diffcult wells viable and the frst in the world to carry out a gas opments, beginning with the Libra feld. reaching targeted depth, where other re-injection system. The FPSO will have

January 2015 | OE oedigital.com 20 020_OE0115_Field1_Libra.indd 20 12/22/14 4:43 PM