Petrobras announces the start-up of the Lula Central production system with the interconnection of the first production well (8-LL-81D-RJS) to FPSO Cidade de Saquarema, on July 8, and the production stabilization at around 30,000 barrels per day (bpd) on July 11.

Located in Lula field, Santos Basin, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, this is the tenth large definitive production system operating in the pre-salt layer. The complete scope of the Lula Central project includes 18 wells: 9 production and 9 injection.

FPSO Cidade de Saquarema is capable of processing 150,000 barrels of oil and compressing up to 6 million m³ of gas per day and is anchored at a water depth of 2,120 meters. The vessel left the Brasa shipyard in Niterói on May 22 towards the current location, around 300 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. It was converted from a very large crude carrier (VLCC) at the CXG shipyard in China. Nine of its modules were manufactured in Brazil, where work was also completed to integrate them with the processing plant.

Lula Central is the second system to start up this year and will contribute to the company’s production growth. This project is part of the company’s efforts to achieve its annual target of 2.145 million bpd of oil in Brazil.

This system joins the nine already operating in the pre-salt layer of the Santos and Campos basins, which were responsible for record production in the fields operated by Petrobras in this province (1.24 million boed) and contributed to the company’s record output of oil and gas in Brazil (2.70 million boed), both achieved in June, as reported to the markets yesterday.

The systems operating in the pre-salt are as follows: Lula Pilot - FPSO Cidade de Angra dos Reis; Lula Nordeste Pilot - FPSO Cidade de Paraty; Lula, Iracema Sul Area - FPSO Cidade de Mangaratiba; Lula, Iracema Norte Area - FPSO Cidade de Itaguaí; Lula Alto - FPSO Cidade de Maricá; Sapinhoá Pilot - FPSO Cidade de São Paulo; Sapinhoá Norte - FPSO Cidade de Ilhabela; and Parque das Baleias - FPSO Cidade de Anchieta and P-58.

Petrobras’ eleventh large pre-salt system is due to come on line in the third quarter of this year, in Lapa field, Santos Basin, through the installation of FPSO Cidade de Caraguatatuba.

The Lula Central area is located within the BM-S-11 concession block. It is operated by Petrobras (which holds a 65% stake), in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell plc subsidiary BG E&P Brasil (25%) and Petrogal Brasil (10%).