Petrobras will gain the reinforcement of another oil and gas production platform in the pre-salt. The National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) reported this Monday (22), that it authorized the start of operations of the P-78.
The P-78 is an FPSO model platform, an acronym in English for floating oil and gas production, storage and transfer unit. The structure is located in Campo de Búzios, in the Santos Basin, around 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
Linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the ANP is the regulatory body for the oil and gas industry in the country.
The regulatory agency reported that the authorization was granted after approval of the documentation and analysis of compliance with operational safety conditions, in addition to approval of the project and authorization to use the measurement systems established by the ANP.
Construction in Asia
The hull of the P-78 was built in shipyards in the cities of Yantai and Hayang, in China, and in Ulsan, in South Korea. The blocks were integrated in South Korea, before heading to Singapore, where the modules were assembled, including one built at the Seatrium (formerly Brasfels) shipyard, in Angra dos Reis, on the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
The ANP audits were carried out in Singapore.
Capacity
THE P-78 arrived in Brazil in September. The new platform has a production capacity of 180 thousand barrels of oil per day (bpd) and 7.2 million cubic meters per day (Sm³/d) of natural gas.
The unit should send 3 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to the Brazilian consumer market and has a closed flare system, minimizing pollutant emissions from burning natural gas. Flare are the towers that burn gas on the platforms.
Pre-salt
The P-78 will be the seventh platform to produce oil in the Búzios Field. In addition, platforms P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, Almirante Barroso and Almirante Tamandaré operate in the region.
The Búzios Field is the largest in the world in deep waters. In 2025, Búzios reached the record of 1 million barrels produced per day, being the largest production in the country.
Oil tanker strike
The authorization from the ANP arrives at the moment when the Petrobras faces a national oil strike. The movement completes eight days this Monday.
Among the main recommendations in the category are:
– Improvements in the job and salary plan;
– Solution for Deficit Equating Plans (PEDs) of Petros (category pension fund);
– Defense of the Brasil Soberano agenda, which defends the maintenance of Petrobras as a public company and a business model aimed at strengthening the state-owned company.
According to the Single Federation of Oil Workers (FUP), Petrobras presented, on Sunday (21), a counter-proposal “with significant advances in relation to the three axes of struggle of the campaign for demands”.
The category demands other advances, including that there be no deductions for days stopped during the strike nor punishments for strikers.
According to the FUP, among the units joining the strike are nine refineries, 28 maritime production platforms, 16 operational terminals, four thermoelectric plants, two biodiesel plants and ten operational onshore facilities.
