Petrobras to bring platforms on line in Q4

In Q4 2018, Brazilian NOC Petrobras plans to start producing from four new platforms in the pre-salt polygon, international media reported Thursday.

The platforms are expected to come on line between October and December, with two installed in each of the offshore Lula and Buzios fields. Additionally, a fifth platform is expected to begin production from the Berbigão field in 2019, the company’s director for production and technology development, Hugo Repsold, told reporters at an energy conference.

Repsold also said Petrobras would assess the feasibility of constructing its own platforms after 2022, and that the NOC would release an updated business plan in Q3, setting out a programme for new platforms beyond 2023.

In other Petrobras news, local newspaper Valor Economico reported on Wednesday that the company can now sell more than 50% of its stake in midstream subsidiary Transpetro, due to a by-law change approved at a recent shareholders’ meeting. However, the newspaper said a Transpetro sale was not a short-term concern.