Paris – Total announce first oil from the Iara license (Block BM-S-11A), located in the deepwater Santos Basin pre-salt. This marks the start-up of the FPSO P-68, the first of the two floating production, storage and offloading units (FPSO) already launched and to be installed on the license. The second, the P-70, is expected to come on stream in 2020. Each unit has a capacity of 150,000 barrels of oil per day.

“First oil from Iara is a new milestone for Total in Brazil. It increases our share of production from the highly prolific pre-salt area, adding to current output from the Total-operated Lapa field, and the extended well tests under way on the Mero field,” said Arnaud Breuillac, President Exploration & Production at Total.

The Iara license comprises the Sururu, Berbigão and Oeste de Atapu fields.

Total acquired a working interest of 22.5% in Block BM-S-11A on January 12, 2018 as part of the strategic alliance with Petrobras, becoming a partner alongside operator Petrobras (42.5%), Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda. (25%) and Petrogal Brasil S.A. (10%).

Total in Brazil
Total has been present in Brazil for over 40 years and has more than 3,000 employees in the country. The Group operates in all segments: exploration and production, gas, renewable energies, lubricants, chemicals, and distribution.Total Exploration & Production’s portfolio currently includes 23 blocks, with nine operated. In 2018, the Group’s production in the country averaged 19,000 barrels of oil per day. By 2025, Total’s production should exceed 100,000 barrels of oil per day. On June 2019, Total and its partners made the investment decision for the second phase of the Mero project. The Mero 2 FPSO will have a liquids treatment capacity of 180,000 barrels per day and is expected to start up by 2022. The Mero 1 project, currently under development, is progressing as per plan, with start-up scheduled in 2021. In October 2019, a consortium led by Total was awarded Block C-M-541, located in the Campos Basin, in the 16th Bidding Round held by Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP).

In 2017, Total and Petrobras formed a Strategic Alliance encompassing exploration and production and gas, renewables and power activities. Through the Alliance, the two groups are implementing R&D projects on topics such as artificial intelligence leading to efficiency gains, with direct applications in Brazil.Total entered the fuel distribution market in Brazil with the acquisition in December 2018 of Grupo Zema’s distribution activities. Total thus owns a network of 280 service stations, as well as several storage facilities for petroleum products and ethanol.


Paris - The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Total announce their collaboration to deploy the world’s first automated seismic acquisition system in Abu Dhabi. This pilot project, performed with Total’s Multiphysics Exploration Technology Integrated System (METIS®), uses autonomous drones and a ground vehicle to drop off and retrieve seismic sensors without human intervention, therefore at a lower cost. It will be deployed throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi, to contribute to onshore exploration and appraisal campaigns — a first in the region.

Following successful trials of METIS® conducted by Total end 2017 in Papua New Guinea, this new pilot project will be undertaken by ADNOC Onshore to test the versatility and upscaling ability of the system in a 36 sq. km desert environment. The seismic sensors will be dropped by six autonomous aerial drones and later be retrieved by an unmanned ground vehicle — whereas they are conventionally manually deployed and recovered by ground based teams.

“Total is focusing on innovation in seismic acquisition to minimize surface impact of petroleum activities and improve the quality of sub-surface images, while increasing our overall operational efficiency. We are proud to have this opportunity to collaborate once again with ADNOC to share advanced technological knowhow and expertise,” stated Dominique Janodet, Vice President R&D of Total Exploration & Production. “In addition, METIS® is a major technology to reduce the environmental footprint of our onshore exploration and appraisal campaigns, which is completely in line with our environmental commitments and our ambition to be the responsible energy major.”

“METIS is a pioneering automated technology with the potential to conduct seismic surveys in harsh environments, such as the desert, which are tough on people and equipment. This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to using ground-breaking technologies, throughout our operations, to unlock the opportunities of the 4th industrial age” said Alan Nelson, Chief Technology Officer at ADNOC.

“The ultimate purpose of this collaboration is to be able to jointly develop a safer, faster, more efficient and cost effective acquisition system to acquire 3D and 4D high resolution seismic images of the subsurface, which can be processed in real-time to build a clearer understanding of the subsurface, lowering geoscience and drilling uncertainties and optimizing field production” added Khadija Al Daghar, Vice President Research and Technology Development at ADNOC.

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About Total & ADNOC
ADNOC and Total collaborates across the full oil & gas value chain, from offshore and onshore exploration, development and production, to processing, products and shipping. In March 2018, Total was awarded a 20% interest in the offshore Umm Shaif and Nasr concession, a 5% interest in the Lower Zakum concession and, more recently, a 40% stake in Abu Dhabi’s first Unconventional Gas Concession.