Petrobras Strikes New Post-Salt Oil Find in Brazil’s Campos Basin

Petrobras (PBR) has confirmed another oil discovery in Brazil’s mature yet resource-rich Campos Basin, identifying high-quality crude in the post-salt section of the Sudoeste de Tartaruga Verde block. The find, made through exploratory well 4-BRSA-1403D-RJS, adds momentum to the company’s ongoing strategy to revitalize legacy offshore assets while pursuing new supply opportunities.

The well, located 108 kilometers offshore Campos dos Goytacazes in 734 meters of water, has already been fully drilled. Petrobras said the presence of oil was verified through logging data, gas shows, and fluid sampling. The samples will now undergo laboratory analysis to determine reservoir characteristics and fluid properties—an essential step before moving toward appraisal drilling or a potential development plan.

The block was acquired in Brazil’s 5th Production Sharing Round in 2018, with Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) overseeing contract management. Petrobras holds a full 100% operating stake, giving it complete control over exploration and any future production strategy.

The Campos Basin, once Brazil’s dominant offshore producer, has seen a resurgence of interest as operators apply new seismic processing and well technologies to extend the life of aging fields and tap underexplored post-salt intervals. Petrobras has repeatedly emphasized that revitalizing Campos is a core pillar of its upstream portfolio—especially as the company seeks to balance massive pre-salt developments with sustained production from mature basins.

The discovery reinforces Petrobras’ near-term exploration pipeline and could support incremental production gains if follow-up appraisal confirms commercial volumes.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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