Petrobras Output Up 17% on Pre-Salt Gains; Exports Jump 36% in Q3 2025

Brazil’s Petrobras bas in Rio de Janeiro has quietly become one of the world’s most dynamic sources of new oil supply.

In the third quarter, the state-controlled producer lifted output in Brazil to 3.14 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, up 17.3% year on year.

Oil and NGL averaged 2.52 million barrels per day; natural gas reached 594,000 boe/d. Pre-salt fields delivered roughly 2.1 million boe/d—the engine of the surge.

What changed is execution offshore. A run of large floating platforms moved from start-up to steady state:

• Almirante Tamandaré in Búzios hit its plateau;
• Marechal Duque de Caxias in Mero increased capacity; and ramp-ups at
• Maria Quitéria (Jubarte), Anita Garibaldi and Anna Nery (Marlim/Voador), and Alexandre de Gusmão

added new volumes. Another unit, P-78, has arrived at Búzios to extend the trend into coming quarters.

Petrobras Output Up 17% on Pre-Salt Gains; Exports Jump 36% in Q3 2025

Exports jumped with production. Petrobras shipped 814,000 barrels of crude per day in the quarter, up 36.1% from a year earlier, with a heavier tilt toward Asia—especially China—where refiners value Brazil’s low-sulfur pre-salt grades.

That brings in hard currency and deepens Brazil’s role in balancing global flows at a time when many producers are struggling to grow.

At home, the refining system ran near full tilt at 94% utilization. Product sales rose 1.9% year on year to 1.804 million barrels per day, led by diesel.

Low-sulfur S-10 diesel reached record shares, a practical win for a country where trucks move harvests and goods across long distances.

Petrobras also advanced projects to add more S-10 diesel, jet fuel, and higher-quality base oils, while testing sustainable aviation fuel via co-processing.

The story behind the story is scale and repeatability. After a decade of heavy investment, Petrobras is now turning a sophisticated deepwater factory—few wells, very productive reservoirs, big FPSOs, and growing gas-processing capacity—into dependable barrels and cash flow.

For readers outside Brazil, the takeaway is simple: this pre-salt machine is reshaping where the next marginal barrel comes from, supporting Brazil’s fuel security at home and strengthening its hand in energy trade abroad.

More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

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