Statoil, together with operator Repsol Sinopec and partner Petrobras, has confirmed a major new find offshore Brazil.
The partnership said it had made a high impact discovery – a total of more than 250million barrels of oil equivalent – in the Pao de Acucar prospect in the Campos Basin.
The well is located some 121 miles offshore Rio de Janeiro State in 9,200 feet of water.
The Pao de Acucar well encountered two pre-salt accumulations comprising a hydrocarbon column of 1,600ft, with a total pay of around 1,150ft.
A test performed in a partial section of the pay zone flowed 5,000 barrels per day of light oil and 28.5million cubic feet per day of gas.
The Pao de Acucar discovery is the third find made in the BM-C-33 block after Seat and Gavea and confirms the area’s high potential.
“This discovery increases our understanding of the pre-salt potential in the Campos Basin and improves our confidence in the recently acquired acreage position in the pre-salt Kwanza basin of Angola,” said Tim Dodson, Statoil’s executive vice president for Exploration.
He added: “Statoil has clear ambitions to grow in Brazil through new exploration opportunities.”
Repsol Sinopec is operator of the exploration consortium, with a 35% stake.
Partners Statoil and Petrobras hold respective 35% and 30% shares.
Statoil is also the operator of the Peregrino field in Brazil, which came on stream in April 2011.
The Pao discovery is the sixth high impact discovery made by Statoil in the past year.
The other discoveries are Skrugard and Havis in the Barents Sea, Johan Sverdrup (former Aldous/Avaldsnes) in the North Sea, Peregrino South in Brazil and Zafarani in Tanzania.