TotalEnergies SE (TTE) said on Tuesday that is has started the second development phase of an oil field off the coast of Brazil.

The company announced the start of crude oil production at the Mero field on the Libra block located over 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin.

Sanctioned in 2019, Mero-2, the second development phase, includes the Sepetiba Floating Production, Storage and Offloading unit or FPSO with a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day or barrels per day (b/d).

With Mero-2, the Mero field will reach a production capacity of 410,000 b/d. Two additional development phases of 180,000 b/d each, Mero-3 and Mero-4, are currently under construction, with start-ups expected by 2025.

At full capacity, production from the Mero field is expected to reach over 100,000 b/d in TotalEnergies share.

The Mero filed is a unitized field, operated by Petrobras with 38.6%, in partnership with 19.3% of TotalEnergies, 19.3% of Shell Brasil, 9.65% of CNPC, 9.65% of CNOOC, and Pre-Sal Petróleo S.A. with 3.5%.