Brazilian oil and gas firm PRIO has secured the installation license from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Natural Renewable Resources (Ibama) for the Wahoo field production development system and interconnection of the wells to the Frade floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit.
With the license secure, PRIO said it will immediately begin subsea construction activities and the tieback to the FPSO, having already contracted and notified the vessel responsible for laying the rigid pipeline, which is expected to arrive in October 2025.
PRIO estimates first oil between March and April 2026, with four producing wells.
The injector wells will be drilled and connected subsequently. The total development cost is estimated at $ 870 million, after schedule and scope changes throughout the project’s planning and execution, the company noted.
Earlier in 2025, PRIO unveiled plan to drill six wells at the Wahoo field, including four production wells and two injection wells using its Hunter Queen semi-submersible drilling rig.
The Wahoo field is the first fully developed field by PRIO. Production will be made possible by a subsea tieback of approximately 30 km in length, connecting Wahoo to the Frade FPSO vessel Frade, which has a processing capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil per day.
Acquired in March 2021, the field was declared commercially viable in December of the same year, after feasibility studies.