Brazil oil output up 1.7% in April

The production of oil and natural gas in Brazil grew for the second time in a row in April from both March this year and April 2018. The figures were published by the country’s National Agency for Oil, Natural Gas, and Biofuels, ANP.

Brazil’s oil production in April totaled 2;604 million barrels a day, up 1.7 percent from March, and 0.3 percent from the same month last year. The production of natural gas reached 112 million cubic meters a day, an increase of 1.3 percent from the previous month, and 3.8 percent from the same month last year.

Pre-salt oil

The production of oil from pre-salt layers in April grew 2.3 percent from the previous month and 10.9 percent from the same month in 2018. This is the second time in a row the country’s pre-salt output rises more than ten percent from the same period in 2018. In March, the increase was reported at 11 percent.

In April, the production—stemming from 94 wells—stood at 1.572 million barrels of oil a day and 64.9 million cubic meters of natural gas a day. The total added up to 1.980 million barres of oil equivalent per day.

Natural Gas

The use of natural gas in April held steady compared to March—94.7 percent of the total produced. Some 55.2 million cubic meters a day were made available for the market. The amount of gas burnt rose 2.8 percent from the previous month, 76.5 percent from the same month in 2018.

Biggest producer in the Santos basin

The Lula field, in the Santos basin, reported the highest production of oil and gas—an average of 873 thousand barrels of oil a day, and 37.2 million cubic meters of natural gas a day.

Maritime fields produced 96 percent of oil and 83.1% of natural gas. The fields operated by Petrobras produced 94.6 percent of oil and natural gas. The country’s production stems from 7,186 wells, 671 of which are maritime fields and 6,515 on land.