The Brazilian state-owned oil and gas company Petrobras has started production from a 180 kb/d floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel at the second development phase of the Mero oil field, located in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin, 180 km off the Brazilian coast. The FPSO Sepetiba, which arrived in Brazil in September 2023, is the third production unit at the Mero field, which is set to comprise five in total.
The second development phase of the field, or Mero-2, will allow the Mero field to reach a production capacity of 410 kb/d (230 kb/d previously). Two additional development phases of 180 kb/d each, Mero-3 and Mero-4, are currently under construction, with start-ups expected by 2025. The Mero field is currently also home to the 50 kb/d FPSO Pioneiro de Libra and the 180 kb/d FPSO Guanabara.
Mero is the third largest oil field in Brazil. It is operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo (PPSA) (3.5%).
At the national level, in 2022, Brazil produced more than 157 Mt (about 1,122 mbbl) of crude oil.