Petrobras Confirms Gas Off Colombia and Oil at Foz do Amazonas in Twelve Days

Petrobras confirmed hydrocarbon accumulations at two frontier offshore wells within twelve days, announcing gas at the Sandia-1 well in deepwater Colombia on August 3, 2026, and oil at the Morpho pioneer well in the Foz do Amazonas basin on the night of August 14.

Sandia-1 sits in Block GUA-OFF-0, about 42 kilometres from the Colombian coast and near the city of Santa Marta. The structure lies close to other recent discoveries including the Sirius and Copoazu wells. Drilling began on June 12, 2026, and reached final depth at the end of July.

Preliminary data collected at Sandia-1 confirm the presence of significant gas volumes, according to Petrobras. The company said in an official statement that the discovery adds volumes that will contribute to the energy security of the region. Intervals where gas was proven are being evaluated through well logs and will later be characterised by laboratory analysis. Technicians are assessing reservoir dimensions, work to be complemented by detailed laboratory studies in the following weeks.

The operation runs through a consortium in which Petrobras holds 44.44% via its subsidiary Petrobras International Braspetro B.V.. Colombian partner Ecopetrol S.A. holds the remaining 55.56% of the exploration. Petrobras filed an official notice on the discovery to CVM, the Brazilian market authority.

Eleven days later, the second well delivered. Petrobras reached the reservoir at the Morpho pioneer well and found oil, without disclosing details. The find came ten months after drilling began. The well depth is 2,886 metres, and the region is little known, which required cautious work to reach the result, according to Petrobras. Drilling operations continue for the exploratory evaluation.

Magda Chambriard, president of Petrobras, told O Globo that the oil find at Morpho, in the Foz do Amazonas basin on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, shows an active petroleum system. She drew a firm line on commerciality: "It is a discovery, but it is not yet a commercial discovery. Now we are going to keep drilling the well to the bottom," she said.

Chambriard framed the result against Petrobras reserve arithmetic. The find points toward a new province that, if it develops as expected, would contribute substantially to the reserve replacement the company needs for the post-peak phase of the pre-salt, she said. Work at the Morpho well is due to finish between the end of August and the start of September.

Petrobras holds three other wells in block FZA-M-59, where the exploration is under way, and has already asked Ibama for a licence to drill them. Ibama is still analysing the request covering three additional wells, with drilling the next step, according to Chambriard. No timing has been set for the new licences, though she said she sees no reason to deny the licence.

The Instituto Brasileiro de Petroleo, Gas e Biocombustiveis (IBP) said on August 14 that the Equatorial Margin announcement reinforces national energy security over the medium and long term. In a note, IBP called the confirmation of hydrocarbons at the exploratory well in the Foz do Amazonas basin extremely important. The industry body said the news matters not only for identifying oil, but for indicating the possibility of exploration and production in a new frontier in the extreme north of the country.

Both wells sit inside the same corporate logic. Activity in the Colombian block is aligned with Petrobras long-term strategy of rebuilding oil and gas reserves through exploration in new frontiers and partnerships with other companies. For investors weighing Petrobras exploration risk, the two results test that thesis from opposite ends: a gas accumulation in a partner-operated deepwater block off Colombia, and an oil-bearing reservoir at 2,886 metres in a basin the company itself describes as little known.

The reported detail stops short of volumes at either well. At Sandia-1, reservoir dimensions remain the subject of log analysis and pending laboratory work. At Morpho, Petrobras released no details on the oil encountered, and drilling continues toward the bottom of the well.