French energy company TotalEnergies announced on May 2 the start of production from the first development phase of the Mero Field, located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

The Mero Field has been in pre-production since 2017 with the 50,000 bbl/d of oil Pioneiro de Libra FPSO.

“The production start-up of the first permanent FPSO in Libra block is a new milestone for TotalEnergies in Brazil,” Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, commented in a company release.

“This start-up,” Pouyanné  continued, “along with the entry into Atapu and Sépia fields, officially signed on April 27, will increase TotalEnergies production in the pre-salt Santos Basin, a key growth area for the company, by 30,000 barrels per day in the second quarter and by 60,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2022 to reach 120,000 barrels per day by end of 2022.”

The Mero Field is operated by Petrobras which holds a 38.6% stake in partnership with TotalEnergies which holds 19.3%, Shell Brasil which also has 19.3%, CNPC with 9.65%, CNOOC Ltd. with 9,65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA-PPSA with 3.5%, representing the Brazil government.

TotalEnergies said that this first phase would be followed by three additional development phases, with the future Mero-2, Mero-3 and Mero-4 phases each having a production capacity of 180,000 bbl/d and production start-ups scheduled between 2023 and 2025.

“This development will continue with the addition of three FPSOs in the coming years, all already under construction, which will deliver production of more than 650,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2026,” Pouyanné said.

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