South America

Argentina

Shales

We have more than 162 thousand net mineral acres in the Vaca Muerta basin, a liquids- and gas-rich play located in the Neuquén Province. The operated acreage includes blocks in Cruz de Lorena and Sierras Blancas (Shell interest 90%), Coiron Amargo Sur Oeste (Shell interest 80%), and Bajada de Añelo (Shell interest 50%). We have a 45% non-Shell-operated interest in the Rincon La Ceniza and La Escalonada blocks. In 2019, we drilled and brought 15 wells on-stream. We have interests in 47 producing wells. We have a 90% interest in our operated Sierras Blancas/Cruz de Lorena central processing facility.

In December 2019, we agreed a 50:50 partnering with Equinor to jointly acquire Schlumberger’s 49% interest in the Bandurria Sur block located in the Vaca Muerta basin (Shell interest 24.5%).

Offshore

In April 2019, we won two frontier exploration blocks in the deep-water bid round offshore Argentina. For both blocks, Shell is to be operator holding 60% of the participating interest, with Qatar Petroleum holding the remaining 40%.

Brazil

Our share of production in Brazil was in total 383 thousand boe/d in 2019.

We operate the Bijupirá and Salema (Shell interest 80%) and BC-10 fields (Shell interest 50%) in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. Our operated portfolio also includes the Gato do Mato field in the Santos Basin and the adjacent Sul de Gato do Mato area (Shell interest 80%), for which development options are being evaluated. Our operated portfolio also includes 10 offshore exploration concessions in the Barreirinhas Basin (Shell interests ranging from 50% to 100%), pre-salt PSCs for Alto Cabo Frio Oeste (Shell interest 55% as operator) and Saturno (Shell interest 45% as operator) in the Santos Basin, C-M-791 exploration block (Shell Interest 40%) in the Campos Basin, and one block in the Potiguar Basin (Shell interest 100%). We have entered into an agreement with Ecopetrol for the sale of a 30% interest in the Gato do Mato field and Sul de Gato do Mato area, which is still subject to regulatory approvals.

In October 2019, during the sixteenth deep-water bid round organised by the Brazilian National Petroleum Agency (ANP), we were granted exploration and production rights as operator with respect to two exploration blocks, C-M-659 and C-M-713, in the Campos Basin (Shell interest 40%). This is awaiting ratification.

In our non-operated portfolio, we have interests in several fields in the offshore Santos Basin, consisting of 30% interests in BM-S-9, Entorno de Sapinhoá and BM-S-9A blocks Sapinhoá and Lapa fields. In the Santos Basin we also have BMS-11A concession with 25% interest in the Berbigão and Sururu fields, which are accumulations subject to ongoing unitisation agreements, and 4% in the Atapu unit, which has already been subject to unitisation in effect from September 2019. The non-operated portfolio in the Santos Basin also includes the BMS-11 concession with the Lula field, which is partly subject to unitisation that has been in effect since April 2019 (Shell interest 23% in the unit). The Iracema area of the Lula field (Shell interest 25%) is not subject to unitisation. Additionally, we also hold a 20% interest in BM-S-50 offshore exploration block, where the Sagitário prospect was discovered, and we hold a 20% interest in the Libra block, where the commerciality of the Mero field was declared. FPSO Pioneiro de Libra has been performing extended well tests and operating early production systems since 2017, and exploration is ongoing in the Central and South East areas. The Mero field is also subject to unitisation with adjoining area, for which a unitisation agreement is still subject to government approval. We announced FID to contract the Mero 2 FPSO vessel to be deployed at the Mero field offshore Santos Basin in Brazil. The FPSO has the capacity to process up to 180 thousand boe/d (Shell interest 20%). We also hold one deep-water exploration block in the Potiguar Basin (Shell interest 40%) and a PSC to explore the Tres Marias block in the Santos Basin (Shell interest 40%).

The activities of operated and non-operated fields are currently supported by 16 producing deep-water FPSOs, of which the fifteenth (P-67) delivered first oil in February 2019 and the sixteenth (P-68) in November 2019. Two additional FPSOs are expected to be brought online in the period 2020-2021 (Atapu I (P-70) and Mero 1).

Rest of South America

We also have interests in Colombia and Uruguay.