Petrobras starts second phase in Santos
Valor Econômico
As it ends the first cycle in the Basin of Santos, which covered the production in fields in the post-salt layer, the implementation and operation of part of the infrastructure in the pre-salt and the beginning of the commissioning of the gas, Petrobras will now invest in the areas of offshore support to coordinate the logistics between the continent and the platforms. According to the General Manager of the Exploration and Production Operations Unit of the Basin of Santos, José Luiz Marcusso, there will be two new logistics bases - one in Itaguaí (RJ) and another in the Air Force Base at Santos, located in the municipality of Guarujá (SP) along the shore of the port of Santos.
This new stage should attract suppliers of Petrobras to the surroundings of the future logistics base. So far, multinationals like Halliburton have maintained a restricted group of executives focused on the relationship with the client in the offices they opened in the region of Baixada Santista, mainly due to the discoveries in the pre-salt. "Some are already surveying areas near the Airbase, but most waits for the conclusion of the study being conducted by Petrobras", says Marcusso.
Currently, the sending of supplies through the sea to the 17 rigs and to the seven systems of production of the Basin of Santos takes place from the cities of Macaé (RJ) and Itajaí (SC). Air transportation, intended to take people and small parts, is made from Jacarepaguá (RJ), Navegantes (SC) and Itanhaém (SP). But the beginning of the commercial production of oil and gas in the pre-salt inaugurates a phase of superlative numbers, which will require the increase of the operations of all areas. "It will be a great jump throughout this decade. In 2020, still not taking into account the onerous assignment, the current strategic plan already points to a total operated production of 1.8 million barrels a day in Santos, or the part of Petrobras in the range of 1.100 million", says Marcusso. In some blocks, the company operates with partners.
By the end of the year the operated production in the Basin of Santos should be of 130 thousand barrels per day, volume that shall gradually increase, getting to 1 million barrels per day in 2017. For comparison, the Basin of Campos, the great producer, currently provides between 1.6 million and 1.7 million bpd. In fact, Santos has been producing since 1993, but at volumes that are considered small. The development of large fields started in 2009, with Lagosta and Tupi, renamed Lula. In it, the total recoverable volumes are of 6.5 billion barrels. Marcusso considers that, in the past, the so-called giant fields were those with 500 million barrels. "It is another dimension, we are already starting to speak of supergiants".
The agreement with the air force was entered into in August. Petrobras will use 600 thousand square meters of the land of the Airbase for operations of airport, seaport and storage. According to the negotiation, the oil company will provide the Aeronautics a consideration. The area has the potential for up to eight mooring berths for supply boats. At the end of 2009, Petrobras had a fleet of 254 of such units. In five years that number should double, and most of the growth will be to cater to the Basin of Santos.
The logistics base will be on the left margin of the navigation channel of the port. On the other side, in the right margin (Santos) near the wharf, it will be erected the new headquarters of Petrobras, expected to start being built by April. Today, the company is spread through five addresses in the city, in a total of 1 thousand workstations. The new address, in the neighborhood of Valongo, will feature three 17-floor towers for 22 thousand employees each. In the first phase of the work will be erected the whole infrastructure and the first building. The inauguration should take place in the second half of 2013. The two other buildings should be ready between 2015 and 2018.