LatAmOil: Preliminary environmental licence issued for Parque de Baleias

Brazil’s national environmental regulator, IBAMA, has issued a preliminary five-year licence to the national oil company (NOC) Petrobras for the Parque das Baleias Integrated Project in the Campos basin, in which 17 offshore wells will be connected to a new floating production storage and off-loading (FPSO) vessel known as the Maria Quiteria.

Of these wells, nine will serve as oil producers, and the remaining eight will serve as water injectors.

The FPSO Maria Quitéria, which is currently under construction in China, is expected to commence production in 2025. It will be able to handle some 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and 5m cubic metres per day of natural gas upon it launch.

The Parque das Baleias cluster encompasses the fields of Jubarte, Baleia Ana, Cachalote, Caxareu, Pirambu and Manganga. The discovery of the first field, Jubarte, dates back to 2001.