{"id":"bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","canonicalSlug":"bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","url":"https://wellficent.com/en/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","language":"en","title":"BP confirms hydrocarbon presence at deep-water Tupinamba exploration well in Brazil Santos Basin","summary":"Exploration well 1-BP-14-SPS encounters hydrocarbons in ultra-deep water 275 kilometres offshore Brazil as drilling continues toward prospective pre-salt carbonate targets.","body":["BP PLC confirmed that its high-impact offshore exploration campaign in Brazil has identified the presence of hydrocarbons in the deep-water Tupinamba exploration block. The discovery was officially reported to the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, known as the ANP. Drilling operations are being conducted at well 1-BP-14-SPS, located approximately 275 kilometres off the coast of the State of Sao Paulo in an ultra-deep water depth of 2,343 metres. This operational milestone marks an important technical validation for BP's strategic upstream exploration acreage in the highly prolific pre-salt fairway of the outer Santos Basin.","The exploration well has encountered hydrocarbon-bearing intervals while evaluating the post-salt stratigraphic sequence. Rig operations are actively continuing to penetrate deeper geological horizons, with the primary technical objective of assessing prospective pre-salt carbonate reservoirs located beneath extensive regional salt sheets. Modern logging-while-drilling tools and extensive wireline formation testing are being deployed to characterise the petrophysical properties of the discovery, including fluid pressure gradients, hydrocarbon saturation levels and reservoir rock permeability, all of which will determine the commercial scope of the accumulation.","The Tupinamba exploration block was awarded in December 2023 during the ANP Second Permanent Offer cycle under an exploration production sharing contract. Under the established regulatory and fiscal framework, the production sharing contract is administered by state entity Pré-Sal Petróleo S/A, known as PPSA. BP acts as the designated technical operator of the block holding an active 50 percent equity interest, while partner Shell holds the remaining 50 percent equity interest subject to final regulatory ratifications. The joint venture represents a significant capital commitment to exploring deep-water offshore frontiers in South America.","Following the conclusion of operations at the Tupinamba well site, BP plans to demobilise the contracted Transocean Deepwater Mykonos ultra-deepwater drillship. The modern dynamic-positioning drilling vessel will subsequently mobilise directly to BP's operated Bumerangue exploration block, located in the southern sector of the Santos Basin, to execute a planned appraisal drilling programme. BP's sequential drilling schedule demonstrates ongoing technical investment in Brazil's deep-water hydrocarbon province, supporting long-term production replacement through high-margin offshore developments that leverage existing regional infrastructure."],"keyPoints":[],"sections":[],"text":"BP confirms hydrocarbon presence at deep-water Tupinamba exploration well in Brazil Santos Basin\n\nExploration well 1-BP-14-SPS encounters hydrocarbons in ultra-deep water 275 kilometres offshore Brazil as drilling continues toward prospective pre-salt carbonate targets.\n\nBP PLC confirmed that its high-impact offshore exploration campaign in Brazil has identified the presence of hydrocarbons in the deep-water Tupinamba exploration block. The discovery was officially reported to the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, known as the ANP. Drilling operations are being conducted at well 1-BP-14-SPS, located approximately 275 kilometres off the coast of the State of Sao Paulo in an ultra-deep water depth of 2,343 metres. This operational milestone marks an important technical validation for BP's strategic upstream exploration acreage in the highly prolific pre-salt fairway of the outer Santos Basin.\n\nThe exploration well has encountered hydrocarbon-bearing intervals while evaluating the post-salt stratigraphic sequence. Rig operations are actively continuing to penetrate deeper geological horizons, with the primary technical objective of assessing prospective pre-salt carbonate reservoirs located beneath extensive regional salt sheets. Modern logging-while-drilling tools and extensive wireline formation testing are being deployed to characterise the petrophysical properties of the discovery, including fluid pressure gradients, hydrocarbon saturation levels and reservoir rock permeability, all of which will determine the commercial scope of the accumulation.\n\nThe Tupinamba exploration block was awarded in December 2023 during the ANP Second Permanent Offer cycle under an exploration production sharing contract. Under the established regulatory and fiscal framework, the production sharing contract is administered by state entity Pré-Sal Petróleo S/A, known as PPSA. BP acts as the designated technical operator of the block holding an active 50 percent equity interest, while partner Shell holds the remaining 50 percent equity interest subject to final regulatory ratifications. The joint venture represents a significant capital commitment to exploring deep-water offshore frontiers in South America.\n\nFollowing the conclusion of operations at the Tupinamba well site, BP plans to demobilise the contracted Transocean Deepwater Mykonos ultra-deepwater drillship. The modern dynamic-positioning drilling vessel will subsequently mobilise directly to BP's operated Bumerangue exploration block, located in the southern sector of the Santos Basin, to execute a planned appraisal drilling programme. BP's sequential drilling schedule demonstrates ongoing technical investment in Brazil's deep-water hydrocarbon province, supporting long-term production replacement through high-margin offshore developments that leverage existing regional infrastructure.","category":"energy","region":"world","topics":["oil","gas"],"eventDate":"2026-10-28","eventDateBasis":"source-event-or-period","publishedAt":"2026-11-02T14:42:16Z","modifiedAt":"2026-11-02T14:42:16Z","publicationBasis":"first-publication","preparedAt":"2026-11-02T14:42:02Z","sourcePublishedAt":"2026-10-28","translatedAt":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/press-releases/tupinamba-hydrocarbon-discovery-santos-basin-brazil.html","name":"BP","checkedAt":"2026-11-02","publishedAt":"2026-10-28"}],"translations":{"en":"https://wellficent.com/en/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","tr":"https://wellficent.com/tr/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","ar":"https://wellficent.com/ar/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","fr":"https://wellficent.com/fr/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","es":"https://wellficent.com/es/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","ru":"https://wellficent.com/ru/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026","pt":"https://wellficent.com/pt/news/bp-tupinamba-santos-basin-offshore-brazil-hydrocarbon-oct2026"},"corrections":[],"locations":[],"type":"news","classification":{"version":"1","dataKinds":["project-update"],"geographies":[{"role":"economic-scope","countryCode":"BR","subdivisionCode":null}],"evidenceBasis":["reported-observation","plan"],"measurementPeriod":null}}