Petrobras announced on Monday (Aug. 3) the discovery of a natural gas well in a high-potential deepwater area off the coast of Colombia. The deposit is located in the Sandia-1 exploration well, in Block GUA-OFF-0, in the Guajira basin. Sandia-1 is located 42 kilometers offshore, at a water depth of 1,251 meters.

The company had already discovered high-potential reservoirs near the new location. Sandia-1 is 18 km from the Sirius-1 well and 9 km from the Copoazu-1 well.

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Drilling of the well began on June 12 and reached final depth last Wednesday (29).

The consortium

Petrobras is engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in Colombia through its subsidiary Petrobras International Braspetro B.V. – Colombia branch (PIB-COL).

Exploration in the Guajira basin is conducted in a consortium with the Colombian state-owned company Ecopetrol. The Colombians hold a 55.56 percent stake in the consortium, and the Brazilians 44.44 percent. Even though it holds a minority stake, Petrobras is the operator of exploration activities in the block.

According to the company, the discovery “reinforces the gas potential in Colombia’s offshore area, adding volumes that will contribute to the region’s energy security.”

The Brazilian state-owned company also noted that its operations off the Colombian coast are in line with its long-term strategy, which aims to replenish oil and gas reserves through exploration in new frontier areas and partnerships with other companies, “helping to meet global energy demand during the energy transition.”

Petrobras around the world

In addition to Colombia, Petrobras is involved in oil production in other countries.

In Africa, the state-owned oil giant operates in Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Africa. In the Americas, the company has a presence in Bolivia, Argentina, and the US.

Petrobras reported that total oil and gas production (crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas) reached a record high of 3.34 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the second quarter of 2026, 14.1 percent higher than in the same quarter last year and 3.4 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2026.

According to the company, this performance was driven by improved efficiency at the Maria Quitéria floating production unit in the Jubarte field, the Alexandre de Gusmão and P-78 units in the Mero field, and the start of production from the FPSO P-79 in the Búzios field.

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The company reported that ten new producing wells began operation during the quarter, including four in the Campos Basin and six in the Santos Basin.

Exports

Higher production boosted exports to approximately 1 million barrels per day, while oil imports fell to 89,000 barrels per day in the second quarter, the lowest volume since the pandemic began.

During the same period, the refinery utilization rate reached 101.2 percent.

The company noted that, given the war in the Middle East and fluctuations in global oil prices, increased utilization of its refining capacity “has been essential to expanding the supply of refined products in the domestic market.”

Domestic market

Domestic sales remained at a level similar to that of the first quarter, as higher sales of diesel and LPG offset lower consumption of other products.