CNOOC Limited has announced that its Mero3 project, located in the Santos Basin pre-salt southeastern offshore of Brazil, has commenced production on Thursday.

The production capacity of the project is 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day, which will increase the installed production capacity of Mero field to 590,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the company said.

Mero field, located about 180 kilometers away from Rio de Janeiro, in a water depth of between 1,800 and 2,100 meters, will be developed by the traditional deep-water pre-salt development mode, FPSO+Subsea. A total of 15 development wells are planned to be commissioned, including eight production wells and seven injectors, the company said.

In the future, the project will separate the oil and associated gas at the seabed and reinject the gas into the reservoir, which will simultaneously boost production and reduce emission. The project will be an important growth driver for the company's overseas oil and gas production, as well as a new example of green development.

CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 9.65 percent interest, while Petrobras the operator has 38.6 percent interest, it said.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn