Brazil’s Offshore Oil and Gas Market in 2026: Key Trends from ROG.e

September 25, 2026

Introduction

Brazil offshore oil and gas trends point in one direction in 2026: growth. In July 2026 the country pumped a record 4.498 million barrels per day, up 13.6% year on year, and total oil and gas output reached 5.851 million boe/d, according to ANP data. Offshore fields delivered 98.1% of that oil.

That momentum set the tone at ROG.e 2026, the event formerly known as Rio Oil & Gas. From September 21 to 24, IBP brought an expected 75,000 participants and more than 650 exhibitors to Riocentro under the banner “Connecting Energies.” Our Blue BMS team walked the pavilions as visitors, listening to operators, EPCs and technology suppliers.

This article brings together what we heard in Rio and what the data shows. We cover the five Brazil offshore oil and gas trends shaping the market for the rest of the decade, and what each one means for fire and gas safety in hazardous areas.

Brazil offshore at a glance (2026)

Record crude output: 4.498 million bpd in July 2026
Pre-salt share: 82.4% of national oil and gas production
Largest field: Búzios, at 1.113 million bpd in July
Petrobras investment plan: US$ 109 billion for 2026 to 2030
New frontier: the Equatorial Margin, with 15 wells planned by Petrobras through 2030

Trend 1: Pre-salt output keeps breaking records, one FPSO at a time

The strongest of the Brazil offshore oil and gas trends is the pre-salt, which drives almost all of the country’s growth. In July 2026, pre-salt fields produced 4.821 million boe/d, or 82.4% of the national total, from just 203 wells. That output grew 18.2% year on year.

The engine is a steady stream of floating production, storage and offloading units (FPSOs). Petrobras brought P-79 online at Búzios on May 1, 2026, three months ahead of plan. The unit can process 180,000 barrels of oil and compress 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day. It was partially commissioned while sailing from South Korea, cutting time spent in sheltered waters.

Búzios is now Brazil’s largest producing field. It passed 1.2 million bpd on June 26, 2026, with eight FPSOs operating and a plan for 12 in total.

Next Búzios units in Petrobras’ pipeline

Project	Unit	Planned start-up	Oil capacity (bpd)
Búzios 9	P-80	2027	225,000
Búzios 10	P-82	2027	225,000
Búzios 11	P-83	2027	225,000

Source: Petrobras 2Q26 report (SEC Form 6-K)

Why it matters for safety: every new FPSO adds a compact, congested topside where oil, high-pressure gas and people share very little space. Pre-salt gas is also rich in CO2, and about 58% of Brazil’s produced gas is reinjected into reservoirs. That means heavy compression trains, which are among the highest-risk areas for gas leaks on any installation.

Trend 2: A US$ 109 billion investment cycle, with more players in the water

Petrobras’ Business Plan 2026 to 2030 commits US$ 109 billion in capex, which the company says equals about 5% of all investment in Brazil. Around US$ 40 billion of that is concentrated in 2026 and 2027 alone, driven by Búzios, Sépia 2 and Atapu 2.

The plan adds eight new production systems by 2030, seven already contracted, plus ten more projects after 2030. Beyond the Búzios units, the queue includes Atapu 2 (P-84), Sépia 2 (P-85) and SEAP II off Sergipe-Alagoas. Petrobras also plans about 100 complementary offshore wells that tie into existing FPSOs without new platforms.

Petrobras is not alone. In July 2026, Equinor and PRIO were the second and third largest oil producers in Brazil, each near 100,000 bpd. Shell, TotalEnergies, CNOOC and CNODC hold stakes in the largest pre-salt consortia. At ROG.e, this mix of international operators and suppliers was visible in every pavilion.

Global context adds urgency. The 2026 disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz pushed buyers to value non-Middle East supply, and analysts now place Brazil on track to become a top-five global producer by the end of the decade.

Why it matters for safety: a capex wave of this size means dozens of new modules, retrofits and tie-backs. Each one needs fire and gas systems specified, certified and commissioned on tight schedules, often by multinational teams working to both Brazilian and international standards.

Trend 3: New frontiers, from the Equatorial Margin to a record ANP auction

The pre-salt will peak one day, so reserve replacement was one of the Brazil offshore oil and gas trends most discussed at ROG.e. Two developments put it at the center of this year’s agenda.

The Equatorial Margin gets its first discovery. On August 14, 2026, Petrobras announced hydrocarbons in the Morpho well, block FZA-M-59, about 175 km off Amapá in 2,886 meters of water. On September 4, Ibama authorized three more wells in the same block, and Petrobras expects to start drilling them in January. The company has earmarked US$ 2.5 billion for 15 Equatorial Margin wells between 2026 and 2030.

The Margin stretches about 2,200 km from Amapá to Rio Grande do Norte, across five basins. It sits on the same geological trend as the giant discoveries offshore Guyana and Suriname. Commercial viability still needs appraisal, but the industry is already treating it as Brazil’s next major frontier.

The largest Permanent Offer round yet. On October 7, 2026, ANP will hold the 6th cycle of the Permanent Offer under concession (OPC6) and the 4th cycle under production sharing (OPP4). Together they cover 35 assets, including 13 pre-salt blocks in the Campos and Santos basins. ANP has also recommended 86 Equatorial Margin blocks for future cycles.

Why it matters for safety: frontier areas are remote, deep and environmentally sensitive. Licensing in the Foz do Amazonas has focused heavily on emergency response and spill containment. For operators, that raises the bar for early detection systems that catch gas releases and fires before they escalate.

Trend 4: “Connecting Energies” means more gas, less flaring and large-scale CCS

The rebrand from Rio Oil & Gas to ROG.e was not cosmetic. The 2026 program put the energy transition next to exploration, with Petrobras executives speaking on decarbonization, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) entering Brazil’s fuel mix in 2027, and low-carbon biorefining.

In practice, offshore decarbonization in Brazil rests on three levers:

More gas to shore. P-79 exports gas through the Rota 3 pipeline and can add up to 3 million m³/d to domestic supply. Brazil produced 214.97 million m³/d of natural gas in July 2026, 12.6% more than a year earlier.
Less flaring. Gas utilization reached 97.8% in July 2026, and flaring fell 14.8% year on year, according to ANP.
CO2 reinjection at world scale. Petrobras reinjected 14.2 million tonnes of CO2 into Santos Basin pre-salt reservoirs in 2024. The Global CCS Institute counts that as about 28% of global CCUS injection capacity. Petrobras is also studying onshore CCUS hubs in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Espírito Santo and Bahia.

Why it matters for safety: CO2-rich gas streams, high-pressure reinjection and new gas export routes change the hazard profile of a facility. Operators need detection that covers both combustible gases and toxic or asphyxiant risks such as H2S and CO2, often in the same module.

Trend 5: Aging assets get a second life, or a safe goodbye

Not all Brazil offshore oil and gas trends are about new projects. A large share of the work is happening on older assets. Two movements run in parallel.

Brownfield revitalization. In the Campos Basin, the Marlim and Voador project replaced nine older units with two new FPSOs, Anita Garibaldi and Anna Nery, with combined capacity of up to 150,000 bpd. Petrobras says the swap cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%. Independents are also growing on mature fields: PRIO was Brazil’s third largest oil producer in July 2026. Petrobras credits a 3.1% gain in operational efficiency, worth about 70,000 bpd, to maintenance and integrity work.

Decommissioning at scale. Petrobras plans to remove 18 platforms between 2026 and 2030, including seven fixed and seven floating units, with US$ 9.7 billion budgeted for decommissioning. About 69% of that goes to well abandonment.

Why it matters for safety: older platforms often run legacy fire and gas panels and detectors that are hard to service, with spare parts that are no longer produced. Life-extension projects are the natural moment to migrate to modern, certified systems. Decommissioning, meanwhile, brings hot work, gas-freeing of vessels and piping, and hydrocarbon residues, so temporary and portable detection becomes critical.

What Brazil offshore oil and gas trends mean for fire and gas safety

Brazil’s offshore growth concentrates more hydrocarbons, more pressure and more people on facilities that are larger, deeper and further from shore. For fire and gas (F&G) systems, that translates into five clear priorities.

Market trend	Main hazard it creates	F&G priority
New FPSOs in the pre-salt	Congested topsides, high-pressure gas and compression trains	Fast flame detection and open-path IR gas coverage across process modules
CO2-rich gas and reinjection	Toxic and asphyxiant releases alongside flammable gas	Combined combustible, H2S and CO2 detection mapped to real release scenarios
Frontier exploration	Remote, deepwater wells under strict environmental scrutiny	Early leak detection and reliable alarm integration with emergency shutdown
Brownfield life extension	Obsolete panels and detectors with no spare parts	Migration to modern addressable, SIL-capable F&G systems
Decommissioning	Hot work and residual hydrocarbons during removal	Portable and temporary gas detection for changing work areas

Compliance adds another layer. Equipment for hazardous areas in Brazil must carry INMETRO certification in addition to IECEx or ATEX, and offshore installations follow NR-37 for platform safety and health. Suppliers who understand both Brazilian and international requirements shorten project timelines.

The conversations we had at ROG.e confirmed this. Operators and EPCs told us they want fewer interfaces, faster lead times and partners who can support projects across Brazil, the US and Europe.

Conclusion: Brazil is building the offshore market of the decade

Record pre-salt output, a US$ 109 billion investment plan, a new frontier in the Equatorial Margin and a record auction on October 7 all point the same way. Taken together, these Brazil offshore oil and gas trends make the country one of the busiest offshore markets in the world through 2030.

ROG.e 2026 showed that the industry is growing and changing at the same time. More gas, more CO2 management, older assets being renewed and new wells in remote waters all raise the stakes for safety in hazardous areas.

At Blue BMS, we supply fire detection, gas detection and fire suppression solutions for oil and gas, offshore and industrial facilities, with operations in the United States and a European hub in Portugal. If you are planning a new project, a retrofit or a life-extension program in Brazil, our team can help you specify the right F&G solution.

Talk to a Blue BMS specialist

Frequently asked questions

What are the main Brazil offshore oil and gas trends in 2026?

The main Brazil offshore oil and gas trends in 2026 are record pre-salt output, new FPSOs at Búzios, exploration in the Equatorial Margin, more gas and CO2 reinjection, and the revitalization or decommissioning of older platforms.

How much oil does Brazil produce in 2026?

Brazil produced a record 4.498 million barrels of oil per day in July 2026, up 13.6% year on year, according to ANP. Total oil and gas output reached 5.851 million boe/d. Offshore fields supply about 98% of the country’s oil.

What is the pre-salt?

The pre-salt is a set of ultra-deepwater carbonate reservoirs below a thick salt layer, mainly in the Santos and Campos basins. Wells typically sit in 2,000 m or more of water. In July 2026, the pre-salt accounted for 82.4% of Brazil’s oil and gas production.

What is ROG.e?

ROG.e is the new name of Rio Oil & Gas, the energy event organized by IBP in Rio de Janeiro. The 2026 edition took place at Riocentro from September 21 to 24 under the theme “Connecting Energies,” with more than 650 exhibitors expected.

What is the Equatorial Margin?

The Equatorial Margin is an offshore frontier running about 2,200 km from Amapá to Rio Grande do Norte, across five sedimentary basins. Petrobras found hydrocarbons in the Morpho well, in the Foz do Amazonas basin, in August 2026.

Which FPSOs will start up next in Brazil?

Petrobras expects P-80, P-82 and P-83 at the Búzios field in 2027, each with 225,000 bpd of oil capacity. They follow P-78 and P-79, which started in December 2025 and May 2026.

What fire and gas detection is required on offshore platforms in Brazil?

Offshore platforms need flame, heat and smoke detection plus combustible and toxic gas detection integrated with shutdown systems. Hazardous-area equipment in Brazil must hold INMETRO certification, and platforms follow NR-37 for safety and health.