# Brazil oil and gas output hits record 5.64 million boe/d in April

*Pre-salt fields, the Santos Basin and Petrobras-operated assets drove the new production high.*

- Published: 2026-06-02
- Updated: 2026-06-03
- Section: Insights
- Tags: ANP, Búzios field, brazil natural gas, Brazil oil and gas, Brazil oil production, energy markets, Infrastructure, Latin America energy, Mero field, Offshore Oil, Petrobras, pre-salt, Santos Basin
- URL: https://brazilstockguide.com/insights/brazil-oil-and-gas-output-hits-record-5-64-million-boe-d-in-april/

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**By Brazil Stock Guide –** **Brazil oil and gas production** reached a record **5.64 million barrels of oil equivalent per day** in April, reinforcing the country’s position as one of the fastest-growing offshore producers outside OPEC.

The data, released by oil regulator ANP, surpassed the previous record of **5.53 million boe/d** set in March. Oil production reached **4.34 million barrels per day**, up **2.2%** from the previous month and **19.5%** from April 2025. Natural gas output rose to **206.7 million cubic meters per day**, a **23%** increase from a year earlier.

**Pre-salt engine**

The record was overwhelmingly driven by the pre-salt. Output from the layer reached **4.61 million boe/d**, also an all-time high, equivalent to **81.8%** of Brazil’s total oil and gas production. Pre-salt wells produced **3.57 million barrels per day of oil** and **166.4 million cubic meters per day of gas** in April.

That concentration matters. Brazil’s production growth is not coming from a broad revival of the entire industry, but from a small number of highly productive deepwater assets. The pre-salt has become the core of the country’s oil story, with large offshore fields delivering volumes that onshore and mature basins cannot match.

The split is clear. Offshore fields produced **98.1%** of Brazil’s oil and **88%** of its natural gas in April. In total, production came from **6,118 wells**, but only **592** were offshore. The imbalance shows the productivity gap between Brazil’s deepwater assets and its older onshore portfolio.

**Santos and Rio**

The Santos Basin remained the center of gravity. It produced **4.41 million boe/d** in April, including **3.40 million barrels per day of oil** and **161.5 million cubic meters per day of gas**. The Campos Basin followed with **967,000 boe/d**, still relevant but increasingly secondary in Brazil’s production mix.

By state, Rio de Janeiro dominated the map, producing **4.74 million boe/d**. That included **3.73 million barrels per day of oil** and **159.7 million cubic meters per day of gas**. Espírito Santo ranked second in total output, with **344,600 boe/d**, followed by São Paulo, with **314,100 boe/d**.

The largest oil-producing field was **Búzios**, in the Santos Basin, with **910,100 barrels per day**. The largest gas-producing field was **Mero**, also in the Santos Basin, with **46.22 million cubic meters per day**.

**Petrobras center**

Petróleo (B3: PETR4; NYSE: PBR) remained the dominant operator. Fields operated by the company, either alone or in consortium, accounted for **88.98%** of Brazil’s total oil and gas output in April.

As operator, Petrobras produced **5.02 million boe/d**, including **3.84 million barrels per day of oil** and **187.5 million cubic meters per day of gas**. Other operators remained much smaller by comparison: TotalEnergies EP produced **97,100 boe/d**, PRIO **95,100 boe/d**, PRIO Tigris **91,100 boe/d**, Equinor Brasil **42,400 boe/d** and Shell Brasil **37,900 boe/d**.

The leading production units also reflected the same pattern. The **FPSO Almirante Tamandaré**, in the Búzios area, had the highest oil production, with **248,587 barrels per day**. The **FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias**, in Mero, led natural gas production, with **13.08 million cubic meters per day**.

**Gas bottleneck**

The gas numbers add nuance to the record. Brazil produced **206.7 million cubic meters per day** of natural gas in April, but only **63.5 million cubic meters per day** were made available to the market. A much larger volume, **119.3 million cubic meters per day**, was reinjected.

That is not necessarily a negative operational signal. Reinjection is part of reservoir management and helps sustain oil production in pre-salt fields. But it also shows why record gas production does not automatically translate into equivalent supply for consumers, industries or power plants.

Gas flaring fell to **4.52 million cubic meters per day**, down **17.2%** from March and **9.3%** from April 2025. The gas utilization rate reached **97.8%**, a positive efficiency indicator at a time when Brazil is trying to extract more value from associated gas.

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Source: Brazil Stock Guide, https://brazilstockguide.com/insights/brazil-oil-and-gas-output-hits-record-5-64-million-boe-d-in-april/