Búzios Field Smashes Gas Export Records with Optimization Efforts
Petrobras's Búzios field in Brazil has set new monthly and daily natural gas export records in July and August 2026. In July, the field averaged 381.4 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of natural gas exports, surpassing its previous record of 353 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). The next month, on August 6, Búzios reached a new daily peak of 497.9 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d), edging past the 490.9 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) mark registered just weeks earlier in July.
The growth is attributed to Petrobras's optimization program targeting gas treatment plants on four platforms, specifically the replacement of CO2 removal membranes. This intervention doubled individual unit capacity from approximately 53 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) to around 106 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) per platform.
The field has more than doubled its gas exports since July 2024 and is expected to continue growing with the commissioning of new platforms, including P-78 and P-79 by 2027. The full development plan calls for 12 platforms in total, with 8 eventually carrying gas export capacity.
Petrobras president Magda Chambriard has linked production investment to domestic gas price reduction, arguing that supply drives price and supply comes from capital investment in upstream capacity.