Equinor begins Raia pre‑salt gas drilling offshore Brazil
- Drilling began 24 Mar with the Valaris DS-17 on six wells in Raia, about 200 km offshore in ~2,900 m water depth.
- Raia contains over 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent recoverable and can export up to 16 million m3/day of natural gas (~15% of Brazil's demand).
- The USD 9 billion development is operated by Equinor (35%) with Repsol Sinopec Brasil (35%) and Petrobras (30%), targeting start-up in 2028.
- Produced gas will be piped 200 km to Cabiúnas and the FPSO is designed for roughly 6 kg CO2 per boe emissions intensity.
Drilling campaign
Equinor has started drilling for the Raia project in the Campos Basin pre‑salt; Valaris DS‑17 began operations on 24 March, targeting six wells about 200 km offshore in ~2,900 m water depth.
Reserves and production capacity
Raia holds recoverable resources exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent and is expected to export up to 16 million m3/day of natural gas, roughly 15% of Brazil's gas demand.
Development concept and infrastructure
Production will feed a floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) that treats oil/condensate and gas; produced gas will be transported via a 200 km pipeline to Cabiúnas (Macaé, Rio de Janeiro).
Partners, investment and schedule
The development is operated by Equinor (35%) with Repsol Sinopec Brasil (35%) and Petrobras (30%), carries an investment of about USD 9 billion, and targets start‑up in 2028 while FPSO integration and commissioning proceed alongside drilling.
Emissions intensity
The FPSO is designed for an average CO2 emissions intensity of approximately 6 kg per barrel of oil equivalent.
Source: Equinor