Brazilian major Petrobras has confirmed it has established further reserves of good quality oil on two of its largest presalt discoveries after drilling new wells, with one probe hitting a 526 m (1,726 ft) thick oil column.
The state-owned operator said in a press release that it completed drilling the wells on the Florim and Entorno de Iara discoveries in the Transfer of Rights area in the Santos basin.
Well 3-BRSA-1215-RJS (3-RJS-725), informally known as Florim-2, was drilled in a water depth of 1,972 m (6,470 ft), 7 km (4 miles) north of the original Florim (1-BRSA-1116/1-RJS-704) discovery well. Florim lies around 200 km (124 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state.
Petrobras said in the release that Florim-2 confirmed the discovery of good quality oil (29°API) in carbonate reservoirs of excellent quality below the salt layer at a depth of 5,412 m (17,757 ft), having reached a total depth of 5,679 m (18,633 ft). It did not issue any specific details on the oil column hit.
The other well, 3-BRSA-1172-RJS (3-RJS-722), is informally known as Entorno de Iara 2 and was drilled in a water depth of 2,249 m (7,379 ft). It sits 7 km (4 miles) northwest of the discovery well, Entorno de Iara (1-BRSA-1146 /1-RJS-711), and some 225 km (140 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state.
For this well, Petrobras did give more detail, saying the Entorno de Iara 2 well also confirmed the discovery of good quality oil (26º API) in carbonate reservoirs of excellent quality below the salt layer at a depth of 5,116 m (16,786 ft). The well confirmed a 526 m (1,726 ft) thick oil column, it said.
The drilling of well Entorno de Iara 2 was completed at a depth of 5,907 m (19,381 ft) after fulfilling the objectives provided in the Transfer of Rights agreement.
The exploratory phase of these areas is expected to be complete by September 2014. According to the Transfer of Rights agreement, Petrobras could declare the area commercial by then.