Petrobras and its partners have commissioned the first development phase of the Mero field in the Libra block, more than 150 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin. This first phase (Mero-1) includes a 180,000 bbl/d floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) and was launched in late 2017; it was initially in pre-production using the 50,000 bbl/d Pioneiro de Libra FPSO. The first phase should be followed by three additional development phases of 180,000 bbl/d each, Mero-2, Mero-3 and Mero-4 FPSOs, with production start-ups scheduled between 2023 and 2025. In August 2021, Petrobras and its partners took the final investment decision (FID) for the Mero-4 FPSO.
The Mero unitized field is operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with TotalEnergies (19.3%), Shell Brasil (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC Limited (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA-PPSA (3.5%), representing the Brazilian government in the non-contracted area.
Brazil, whose oil output reached 3 mb/d in 2021, forecasts an increase in its oil production by around 300,000 bbl/d in 2022 (+10% compared to 2021). Most of the domestic production was ensured by the Brazilian national oil and gas company Petrobras, which produced 2.77 mboe/d of oil and gas in 2021 (-2.5% compared to 2020), including 2.22 mb/d of oil and NGL (-2.2%) and exceeded its 2021 targets. Pre-salt production accounted for 70% of Petrobras’s total output in 2021.