Equinor Starts Production at Bacalhau Field Offshore Brazil
October 16, 2025
Equinor and its partners has started production from the large Bacalhau field in Brazil, whose recoverable reserves exceed 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
Bacalhau is located in the pre-salt region of Brazil's Santos Basin in ultra-deep water of over 2,000 meters.
The field features one of the most modern floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels in the world, measuring 370 meters in length and 64 meters in width, with a production capacity of 220,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd).
Phase 1 development consists of 19 wells, producers and injectors, which will be brought online in sequence as we ramp up and sustain production.
The Bacalhau FPSO features combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT), a technology that significantly reduces carbon intensity. With an expected CO2 intensity of around 9 kg per boe, and advanced abatement across flaring, processing, power generation, and storage, the field sets a new benchmark for cost efficient and lower emission deepwater production.
MODEC, the FPSO contractor, will operate the unit for the initial phase. Thereafter, Equinor plans to operate the Bacalhau facilities until end of the license period.
The partners in Bacalhau are Equinor (40%, operator), ExxonMobil Brasil (40%), Petrogal Brasil (JV Galp|Sinopec) (20%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A (PPSA – Government Company, PSA Manager).
"The safe start-up of Bacalhau marks a major milestone for Equinor. Bacalhau represents a new generation of projects that bring together scale, cost-efficiency and lower carbon intensity. With this development, we are strengthening the longevity of our oil and gas production and securing value creation for decades to come,” said Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor.
