Petrobras starts Búzios 8 (P-79) production

Start of production

On May 1 Petrobras began oil production from the P-79 FPSO (Búzios 8) in the Santos Basin, three months ahead of the PN 26–30 schedule and five months ahead of PN 25–29.

Capacity and exports

P-79 provides 180,000 bpd oil capacity and 7.2 million m³/d gas compression, increasing Búzios installed oil capacity to ~1.33 million bpd and enabling up to 3 million m³/d of gas export via interconnection to the Rota 3 pipeline.

Project layout and technology

The development includes 14 wells (8 producers, 6 injectors) with intelligent completions and will use rigid production, injection and gas export ducts plus flexible service lines; the FPSO has a new-design hull with technologies for emission reduction and operational efficiency, measuring 345 m in length and 180 m in height to the top of the flare.

Logistics, field context and partners

P-79 arrived from South Korea in February with commissioning and operations teams on board, allowing commissioning advances during transit; Búzios—discovered in 2010—is 180 km off Rio de Janeiro in ultra-deep waters (>2,000 m) and hosts multiple FPSOs (P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, Almirante Barroso, Almirante Tamandaré, P-78), with P-78 entering operation in December 2025, P-80/P-82/P-83 under construction and Búzios 12 in bidding; consortium members include Petrobras (operator), CNOOC, CNODC and PPSA.