Norway’s state-owned oil and gas giant Equinor has kicked off drilling activities at its natural gas project off the coast of Brazil with a drillship owned by Valaris, a Bermuda-headquartered offshore drilling contractor.
Equinor has started the drilling phase for the Raia project in the pre-salt Campos Basin offshore Brazil, as the project progresses towards planned start-up in 2028. The Valaris DS‑17 drillship began drilling operations on March 24. This drilling campaign includes six wells in the Raia area, located about 200 kilometers off the coast of Brazil in water depths of around 2,900 meters.
Geir Tungesvik , Executive Vice President of Projects, Drilling and Procurement, commented: “Raia is Equinor’s largest project under execution and marks the deepest water depth operation in our portfolio.
“Together with our partners and suppliers, we are applying world-class technology and decades of offshore expertise. While drilling takes place, integration and commissioning activities on the FPSO are progressing well putting us on track towards a safe start of operations in 2028.”
The Norwegian giant claims that the campaign supports the development of one of Brazil’s most significant natural gas projects, with recoverable reserves exceeding one billion barrels of oil equivalent. Once in operation, the project will have the capacity to export up to 16 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, which could represent 15% of the country’s natural gas demand.
As a result, it is expected to significantly contribute not only to the firm’s international equity production and long-term cash flow but also to the South American country’s energy security. The Raia project is operated by Equinor (35%), in partnership with Repsol Sinopec Brasil (35%) and Petrobras (30%).
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These drilling activities are said to build on the companies’ combined competence in deepwater operations, including the previous experience on the Bacalhau field, where the DS‑17 rig also took part in the drilling campaign. Raia’s development concept is based on production through wells connected to a floating production, storage, and offloading unit (FPSO), which will treat produced oil/condensate and gas.
The natural gas will be transported through a 200‑kilometer pipeline from the FPSO to Cabiúnas, in the city of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro. The project is Equinor’s largest international investment to date, totaling around $9 billion, with production expected to start in 2028.
The FPSO is expected to be among the most carbon‑efficient globally, with average CO2 emissions intensity of approximately 6 kg per barrel of oil equivalent. The Raia development is estimated to generate up to 50,000 direct and indirect jobs over its 30-year life cycle.