BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16. Equinor and its partners have begun production at Brazil’s Bacalhau field, marking a major milestone for the Norwegian energy company’s global operations, Trend reports.
Located in the pre-salt Santos Basin, Bacalhau is the largest international offshore project ever developed by Equinor, with recoverable reserves exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The field is operated in partnership with ExxonMobil Brasil, Petrogal Brasil (Galp|Sinopec JV), and Pré-sal Petróleo SA (PPSA).
“The safe start-up of Bacalhau marks a major milestone for Equinor. It represents a new generation of projects that combine scale, cost-efficiency and lower carbon intensity,” said Anders Opedal, Equinor’s President and CEO.
The development features one of the world’s most advanced Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, capable of producing 220,000 barrels of oil per day. The first phase includes 19 wells that will be brought online gradually during the ramp-up period, with an operational update expected in 2026.
Equinor highlighted the project’s strong safety record, with around 70 million work hours completed. The FPSO’s combined-cycle gas turbines are designed to reduce emissions, achieving an estimated CO₂ intensity of about 9 kilograms per barrel of oil equivalent — setting a benchmark for lower-emission deepwater production.
“Brazil is a core area for us, and Bacalhau will be a major contributor to Equinor’s goal of generating more than $5 billion in free cash flow by 2030,” said Philippe Mathieu, Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production International.
MODEC, the FPSO contractor, will operate the unit during the initial phase, after which Equinor will assume operatorship for the remainder of the license period.