Espírito Santo Basin: current status of exploratlon actlvities

Abstract

The Espírito Santo Basin, one of the sedimentary basins on the eastern Brazilian continental margin, stands as a prime example of the normal evolutionary sequence of a passive margin basin. Exploratory actives began there at the end of the fifties and to date approximately 50 000 km of seismic lines have been acquired and 351 exploratory wells drilled, sixty-six of which on the continental shelf. Currently identified prospects can be grouped into three exploratory plays: the Alagoas, the Albo-Cenomanian, and the Upper Cretaceous/Tertiary. Best hydrocarbon results have been attained onshore, where thirty-five accumulations have been discovered. Although most are small in size, they are made attractive by reduced investment requirements and the availability of good production infrastructure. Exploratory efforts on the continental shelf have so far yielded only one commercial discovery, the Cação field . Better exploratory perspectives are expected for lesser known plays, for example, for the pre-Alagoas and turbidite targets outside the area of the paleocanyons and even for the continental shelf itself.