Fossil Energy – Drilling
Shell returns to the ultra-deep waters of the Campos Basin to drill another wildcat.
The drilling rig Valaris Renaissance has been on location since February 14th to drill the well 1-SHEL-36-RJS (Ariranha) in block C-M-659.
The area, acquired in Round 16 (2019) and operated by Shell in partnership with Chevron and QatarEnergy, had its first well drilled in mid-2023: 1-SHEL-35-RJS / 1-SHEL-35A-RJS (Suçuarana). However, no hydrocarbon indications were reported to ANP.
The drilling is taking place just south of the Raia Manta and Raia Pintada fields, which were declared commercial at the end of 2023. Operated by Equinor in consortium with Repsol Sinopec Brasil and Petrobras, these fields contain recoverable natural gas and oil/condensate volumes exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with initial oil production expected in 2028.
