Petrobras Sets Monthly Oil Production Record in Brazil

Petrobras' average oil production in Brazil in September, 2,003,940 barrels per day, set a monthly record, surpassing the previous mark set in March 2009 by 12,000 barrels. This mark was 5.6% higher than a year ago and 1.2% more than August 2009.

The 24,000-barrel difference, compared to August, resulted from the resumption of activities on Platform FPSO Cidade de São Vicente, in the Tupi area, in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin, and on platform P-19, in the Marlim Field, in the Campos Basin. Other factors that figured-in were a well going on stream at the Piranema Platform, in the Sergipe sea, and increased production at the wells interconnected to the P-48 (Caratinga) and P-51 (Marlim Sul) platforms, in the Campos Basin.

Petrobras’ average oil and gas production in Brazil, in September, topped out at 2,326,969 barrels of oil equivalent per day, 4.5% more than a year ago and 1.3% above last month’s mark.

The volume of oil and gas coming from countries where Petrobras has operations reached 245,263 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), 10% more than in September 2008. This surge resulted from production going on stream in the Agbami and Akpo fields, both in Nigeria.

Compared to last August, the rise was 4.7% resulting from production normalization in the Austral Basin, in Argentina, after the the labor strike that took place in that country was wrapped-up.

Adding the fields in Brazil and abroad, the total average oil and natural gas production was 2,572,232 barrels of oil equivalent (boed) in September, 5% more than a year ago and 1.6% more than last August.

Natural gas production in the domestic fields was 51,358,000 cubic meters, the same as that produced last month and in September 2008.

Natural gas production abroad was 16,311,000 cubic meters per day, 9.9% more than in August. This result is the outcome of production normalization at the Austral Basin, in Argentina, after the end of the labor strike in August.