Petrobras informs that it put into operation, this Wednesday (Dec,21), the P-71 platform vessel, installed in the Itapu field, in the Santos Basin pre-salt area, 200 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The start of production has been anticipated, as it was originally scheduled for 2023.

From Petrobras' own platform portfolio, the P-71 is an FPSO (floating unit for the production, storage, and transfer of oil and gas) type with capacity to process up to 150,000 barrels of oil and 6 million m³ of gas per day, in addition to storing up to 1.6 million barrels of oil.

“We were able to anticipate the production of the P-71 platform, which was originally scheduled for 2023. We will also be able to anticipate the ramp-up (production evolution), which is excellent news not only for Petrobras but also for the country, which will receive the royalties from this production earlier," says Petrobras' Chief Production Development Officer, João Henrique Rittershaussen.

Positioned in a water depth of 2,010 meters, the P-71 will be the only one to produce in the Itapu field, fully operated by Petrobras under the Transfer of Rights and Production Sharing regimes. The company expects the unit to reach its maximum production capacity in 2023.

The P-71 is the sixth and last of the series of replicant platforms operated by Petrobras. These units are characterized by a standardized engineering design, high production capacity, and advanced technologies for operation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the unit's low-carbon technologies is the so-called FGRU (Flare Gas Recovery Unity) system, which contributes to a greater utilization of the produced gas and reduction of emissions.

About Petrobras

Petrobras has upwards of 100 production platforms, 16 refineries, 30,000 kilometers of pipelines and more than 6,000 service stations. Our proved reserves are around 14 billion barrels of oil, a figure expected to double in the next few years. With the discovery of oil and gas in the pre-salt region, Brazil may become the world's fourth biggest oil producer in 2030.

We have built a track record of overcoming challenges since 1953, when the company was created. The main one was developing technology to explore and produce oil in deep and ultra-deep waters, where upwards of 90% of our reserves are nestled. With innovation and daringness, we are now the Brazilian company that makes the applies for the most patents in Brazil and abroad.