Petrobras’ average oil production in Brazil, in December, reached a record volume of 2,121,584 barrels/day, surpassing the previous record, of 2,032,260 bpd, set in April 2010, by 89,000 barrels. This volume was 6.8% higher than in the same period of 2009, and 4.5% more than last November.
Last month’s increase in output resulted from operations going on stream at platform P-57, in the Jubarte field, in the Espírito Santo portion of the Campos Basin; from the Guará Extended Well Test (EWT), in the Santos Basin; and from new wells coming into production in the Cachalote/Baleia Franca and Barracuda/Caratinga fields, both in the Campos Basin.
Including natural gas, Petrobras’ total production – oil and gas – in Brazil, in barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), topped out at 2,491,087 barrels in December, not only setting a monthly record, but also achieving an increase of 7.9% compared with the volume produced in December 2009, and of 4.7% over November 2010.
In December, natural gas output from domestic fields rose 15% over a year earlier, and 6.3% compared with November 2010, to 58.746 million cubic meters.
Annual records
Averaging 2,004,172 barrels per day, oil production also set an annual record in 2010. In addition to signaling a sustainable production above two million barrels per day, the year’s production was 1.7% above the volume produced a year earlier, which averaged 1,970,811 barrels per day. Considering 2010 as a whole, the average daily gas production stood at 53.077 million cubic meters per day, 5.4% more than in 2009.
Figuring-in the fields in Brazil and abroad, Petrobras’ total oil and natural gas production also set an annual record in 2010, averaging 2,583,458 boed, 2.3% more than the 2,525,260 boed produced in 2009.
Abroad, the exclusive production of oil in 2010 increased to 151,247 barrels per day, a 7.6% surge compared to a year ago (140,576 bpd). In 2010, the total oil and natural gas production reached 245,440 boed, 3.2% more than the 2009 volume of 237,803 boed.
Production abroad
In December 2010, the total volume of oil and gas Petrobras produced in Brazil and abroad was 2,731,312 barrels of oil equivalent, an increase of 4% compared with Petrobras’ overall production in the previous month (November) and of 7.1% above the volume produced in the same month of 2009.
The volume of oil and natural gas coming from countries where the company has operations overseas reached 240,225 boed in December 2010, 0.6% less than in November 2010 due to the reduction in gas production in Bolivia on account of a scheduled maintenance shutdown done at the gas processing plants. Compared with December 2009, there was a 1.4% dip due, mainly, to the decreased gas production in Argentina because of shutdowns done at some processing plants.
Natural gas production abroad was 15.445 million cubic meters per day, 2.6% less than a year earlier and 3.3% below the previous month’s mark.
The schedule shows the oil and gas production in Brazil and abroad and Petrobras’ global production in barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in 2010.
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Source: Petrobras, January 25, 2011;