BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 26. TotalEnergies has announced the start of oil production from the fourth development phase of the Mero field, located in the Libra block about 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin, Trend reports.
The new phase, known as Mero-4, was launched in August 2021 and involves connecting 12 wells to the Alexandre de Gusmão FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) unit. The FPSO has a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day.
Designed with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the project includes reinjection of associated gas into the reservoir and zero routine flaring.
With the startup of Mero-4, total production capacity from the Mero field now stands at 770,000 barrels per day across five FPSOs. At full capacity, TotalEnergies' share of production will be approximately 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Nicolas Terraz, President of Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies, stated that the start of Mero-4 marks the completion of field development and the beginning of a long-term production phase. He noted that the Mero field, with its scale and productivity, supports the company’s strategy of low-cost, low-emission oil production and contributes to its target of annual production growth of 3% between 2024 and 2030.
The Mero field is a unitized development operated by Petrobras (38.6%) in partnership with TotalEnergies (19.3%), Shell Brasil (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%), and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA), which holds a 3.5% stake on behalf of the Brazilian government in the non-contracted area.