Petrobras announces that, on May 2015, its oil and natural gas production was 2 million 766 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), in Brazil and abroad, 0.7% lower than the volume produced on April (2 million 785 thousand boed) and 6.2% superior to the volume produced on May 2014 (2 million 605 thousand boed).

Oil and gas production in Brazil

Petrobras total oil and gas production in May totaled 2 million 574 thousand boed, 0.8% lower than in April (2 million 596 thousand boed).

The Company´s exclusive oil production in Brazil was 2 million 111 barrels of oil per day (bdp) in May, 1% lower than in April (2 million 134 bpd).

Production was impacted by the higher number of scheduled maintenance stoppages on platforms in May, in comparison to the previous month. This effect was partially offset by the start-up of the anticipated production system in Atapu field (in the Transfer of Rights area), with FPSO Cidade de São Vicente, in Santos Basin pre-salt. Moreover, production was recovered in platform P-58, in the area known as Parque das Baleias, in Campos Basin, after the conclusion of its maintenance stoppage in April.

Petrobras natural gas production in Brazil, excluding the liquefied volume, was 73 million 593 thousand m3/day, similar to the production in April (73 million 370 thousand bpd).

New records in Pre-salt

In May, Petrobras hit two new monthly production records in Pre-salt. The operated production reached its highest level, 726 thousand bpd, an increase of 1.6% in comparison to April (715 thousand bpd). Of this total, Petrobras share reached a new historical milestone of 519 thousand bpd, surpassing April’s level in 3.2% (503 thousand bpd).

Oil and gas production abroad

In May, 192 thousand boed were produced abroad, 1.2% above the previous month production of 190 thousand boed, mainly due to the result of gas wells in Hadrian South field, located at the North American Gulf of Mexico.

The average oil production abroad in May of 101 thousand boed remained stable in comparison to the volume produced in April, which was 102 thousand bpd.

The average natural gas production abroad was 15.3 million m3/d, 3.2% above the 14.8 million m3/d produced in the previous month, mainly due to wells result in Hadrian South Basin.