Petrobras is planning to kick off an ultra-deepwater development drilling program on its giant Carcará discovery in the pre-salt Santos Basin, after its latest appraisal well confirmed the wider potential of Block BM-S-8.

The Brazilian major confirmed that drilling had been completed in well 4-SPS-86B (4-BRSA-971-SPS) in the block. This is the third well drilled in the 1-BRSA-532A-SPS (Bem-te-vi) Discovery Assessment Plan (PAD) area.

The Carcará probe was drilled 232 km offshore in 2,027 m (6,651 ft) of water. After drilling the well to a depth of 5,742 m (18,840 ft), Petrobras said a “significant column” was found containing at least 471 m (1,545 ft) of excellent quality oil. The oil had an API of 31° and was free of contaminants such as CO2 and H2S, with 402 m (1,319 ft) in carbonate reservoirs with excellent porosity and permeability, it added. Pressure data indicate that these reservoirs are interconnected.

Due to operational issues, said the operator, it was not possible to reach the planned final depth – originally set at 7,000 m (22,967 ft) – to carry out an additional assessment. The well has been temporarily abandoned, allowing operations to be resumed in the future if the consortium decides to do so. Various data collected from the well – logs, lateral cores, fluids and pressures – as well as petrophysical analysis, together with the expertise and experience of Petrobras in formation and extended well tests in pre-salt reservoirs, support the expectation that the oil flow in the drilled reservoirs has more potential, it continued.

This will be confirmed by ongoing exploratory activities in the area, which include drilling an extension well later this year, when it will assess the productivity of the reservoirs via a formation test.

Carcará is expected to start producing oil in 2018, with development wells to be drilled through- out 2016-2017, in line with the company’s 2012-2016 Business Plan and forward strategic planning for 2020. The operator is expected to develop the discovery via one of its fleet of pre-ordered Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, currently under construction.

Petrobras operates the consortium (66%) with its partners being Petrogal Brasil (14%), Barra Energia do Brasil Petróleo e Gás Ltda. (10%) and Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção S.A. (10%).

In light of Carcará’s potential, the consortium has requested an extension to the deadline from the industry regulator ANP (National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency) for the Discovery Assessment Plan (PAD) of Bem-te-vi, where the well is located, which was due to expire at the end of 2012. The consortium is still awaiting ANP’s decision, although no issues are expected to arise, DI hears.