(World Oil) — Petrobras increased its oil and natural gas production 14.1% year over year to a record 3.34 MMboed in the second quarter of 2026, driven by the continued ramp-up of major pre-salt developments in the Santos basin and improved operational efficiency across its offshore portfolio.
Production also rose 3.4% from the first quarter as the company benefited from increasing output from the FPSO Maria Quitéria in the Jubarte field, the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão in the Mero field, and the P-78 and P-79 FPSOs in the Búzios field. Petrobras said the gains more than offset natural declines at mature assets. During the quarter, the company brought 10 new producing wells online, including six in the Santos basin and four in the Campos basin.
Búzios, Petrobras’ flagship pre-salt development, continued to set production milestones during the quarter. On June 26, the field’s platforms exceeded 1.2 MMbpd of average production, following the startup and ramp-up of the P-78 and P-79 floating production units. Petrobras also reported that Búzios surpassed 1 MMbpd of average monthly production for the first time in June, reaching the milestone in just over eight years after commercial production began.
The P-79 FPSO entered production on May 1, five months ahead of the schedule outlined in the company’s previous business plan. The unit has a production capacity of 180,000 bpd and natural gas compression capacity of 7.2 MMcmd, increasing Búzios’ installed production capacity to approximately 1.33 MMbpd. Petrobras said the facility began gas injection just 56 days after first oil, marking another operational record for the company.
Elsewhere in the Santos basin, the Mero field averaged approximately 740,000 bpd during the quarter, while mature pre-salt hubs including Tupi, Sépia, Atapu, Itapu, Sapinhoá and Berbigão maintained stable production despite no new production systems entering service.
Picture above: P-79 is the eighth platform of the Búzios field, located in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin
