Equinor has begun drilling operations at the Raia gas project in the pre-salt region of Brazil’s Campos Basin, with production targeted for 2028.
Drilling operations began this week, with the Valaris DS 17 drill-ship carrying out this phase of the campaign.
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The development lies approximately 200km offshore in water depths of around 2,900m and will involve six wells.
Raia is among Brazil’s largest ongoing natural gas projects, with recoverable reserves surpassing one billion barrels of oil equivalent (bboe).
Equinor holds a 35% operating interest in the project, alongside Repsol Sinopec Brasil (35%) and Petrobras (30%).
The Raia initiative is expected to produce up to 16 million cubic metres per day (mcm/d) of natural gas, which could account for approximately 15% of Brazil’s gas demand at that time.
Gas extracted from the field will be transported through a 200km pipeline from a floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) to Cabiúnas in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro state. The FPSO will process both oil and condensate as well as natural gas.
Equinor projects, drilling and procurement executive vice-president Geir Tungesvik said: “Raia is Equinor’s largest project under execution and marks the deepest water depth operation in our portfolio. Together with our partners and suppliers, we are applying world-class technology and decades of offshore expertise.
“While drilling takes place, integration and commissioning activities on the FPSO are progressing well, putting us on track towards a safe start of operations in 2028.”
The FPSO is projected to have an oil and condensate processing capacity of around 126,000 barrels per day (bpd) and aims for a carbon intensity of approximately 6kg of carbon dioxide per barrel of oil equivalent.
The Raia project represents Equinor’s largest international investment to date, with total costs estimated at around $9bn (Nkr87.66bn). Over its expected life cycle of 30 years, Raia is estimated to create up to 50,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Drilling work builds on previous collaborations among the partners in deep-water operations, including experience gained from the Bacalhau field.
Prior to this, Equinor announced a new oil discovery at the Polynya Tubåen prospect in the Barents Sea, with estimated recoverable reserves of 14–24 million barrels of oil equivalent.
