Pre-salt production in February totaled 1.826 million boe / d, an increase of 3.6% compared to the same month in 2018 and a decrease of 0.6% compared to the previous month. 1,450 million barrels of oil per day and 59.8 million cubic meters of natural gas per day were produced through 88 wells. The participation of the pre-salt in total national production in February was 57.4%.

The pre-salt wells are those whose production is carried out in the geological horizon called pre-salt, in fields located in the area defined in item IV of caput of article 2 of Law 12,351 / 2010.

National Production 

In February 2019, Brazil's oil and gas production totaled 3.182 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, with 2,489 million barrels of oil per day (bbl / d) and 110 million cubic meters of natural gas per day. Oil production in the period decreased 5.4% compared to the previous month and 4.9% when compared to February 2018. Natural gas production decreased by 2.7% in comparison with the previous month and one increase of 0.3% compared to the same month of 2018. 

The main reasons for the fall compared to January were the banning of the P-43 platform, which operates in the Barracuda and Caratinga fields, and the scheduled shutdown for maintenance of the FPSO Capixaba, which operates in the fields of Jubarte and Cachalote.

January production data is available on the Monthly Bulletin of Petroleum and Natural Gas Production (Portuguese).

Use of natural gas

The use of natural gas in Brazil in February reached 95.4% of the total volume produced. 56.2 million cubic meters per day were made available to the market.

Gas flaring totaled 5.1 million cubic meters per day, a decrease of 9.4% compared to the previous month and an increase of 42.1% compared to the same month in 2018.

Producer Fields

The Lula field, in the Santos Basin, was the largest producer of oil and natural gas. It produced, on average, 885 thousand bbl / d of oil and 37.5 million m3 / d of natural gas. Maritime fields produced 95.7% of oil and 82% of natural gas. The production occurred in 7,250 wells, being 695 sea and 6.555 terrestrial.

The fields operated by Petrobras produced 94% of the oil and natural gas. 

Estreito, in the Potiguar Basin, had the largest number of producing wells: 1,125. Marlim Sul, in the Campos Basin, was the maritime field with the largest number of producing wells: 87.

The FPSO City of Maricá Platform, producing in the Lula field by means of six interconnected wells, produced 146,000 barrels per day and was the facility with the largest oil production. The Arara Azul plant, producing in the fields of Arara Azul, Araracanga, Carapanaúba, Cupiúba, Urucu River and Southwest Urucu, through 38 interconnected wells, produced 9 million m3 / d and was the installation with the largest natural gas production.

Other information 

In February 2019, 310 concession areas, two onerous assignment areas and five sharing areas, operated by 33 companies, were responsible for domestic production. Of these, 78 are maritime and 239 are terrestrial. Of the total of the producing areas, 13 are related to contracts of areas containing marginal accumulations.

The average API grade was 27.4, with 39.7% of the production being considered light oil (> = 31 ° API), 48.4% medium oil (> = 22 API and <31 API) and 12% heavy oil ( <22 API). 

The mature terrestrial basins (fields / long-term tests of the Espírito Santo, Potiguar, Recôncavo, Sergipe and Alagoas basins) produced 113.2 thousand boe / d, of which 88.2 thousand bbl / d of oil and 4 million m3 / d of natural gas. Of this total, 105,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day were produced by Petrobras and 7,500 boe / d for concessions not operated by Petrobras, with 332 boe / d in Alagoas, 3,936 boe / d in Bahia, 35 boe / d in Espírito Santo, 2,967 boe / d in Rio Grande do Norte and 199 boe / d in Sergipe.