“Enough With The Fooling Around,” Says Lula About Ibama's Refusal to Authorize Petrobras to Explore Oil in the Amazon River Mouth Basin

“Enough With The Fooling Around,” Says Lula About Ibama’s Refusal to Authorize Petrobras to Explore Oil in the Amazon River Mouth Basin

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 14/02/2025 at 10:17

Fonte: Poder360

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President Lula Positioned Himself Against Ibama’s Actions and Supported Petrobras in the Search for Exploration of the Amazon River Mouth Basin.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his views on the need for authorization from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) for Petrobras to conduct research in search of oil in the Amazon River Mouth Basin, located on the Equatorial Margin, on the coast of Amapá.

The region, rich in potential for discovering oil reservoirs, has been the subject of public debates, especially among environmentalists who warn of possible environmental damage from exploration in the area.

Lula Points Out Need for Research Before Exploration

In an interview with Rádio Diário FM in Macapá (AP), Lula emphasized that the government’s initial goal is not to conduct exploration but to authorize research to verify the existence and quantity of oil in the region.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The Amazon River Mouth Basin and Its Oil Potential

The Amazon River Mouth Basin, located on the Equatorial Margin, on the coast of Amapá, is considered a strategic area for the oil industry.

The region has great potential to contain large oil reservoirs, attracting interest from Petrobras and energy sector investors.

However, in May 2023, Ibama denied Petrobras’s license to conduct marine prospecting in the area, citing “technical inconsistencies” in the operation plan, particularly concerning the Wildlife Protection Plan.

Lula defended Petrobras, arguing that the company has extensive experience in deepwater oil exploration and that all necessary measures would be taken to ensure environmental safety.

“We will comply with all necessary protocols to avoid any damage to nature, but we cannot know there is wealth beneath us and not explore it, especially because this wealth is what we will use to fund the famous and dreamed energy transition,” said the president.

Petrobras’s Strategic Plan and Environmental Licensing

For the period of 2024-2028, Petrobras’s Strategic Plan foresees investments of an impressive US$ 3.1 billion and the drilling of 16 wells along the Equatorial Margin, which encompasses five offshore basins, including the Amazon River Mouth Basin.

However, the company only obtained authorization from Ibama to drill two wells, located in the Potiguar Basin, on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.

Another 11 wells are already operating in the production phase, with six of them in the process of being decommissioned due to a lack of significant discoveries.

In October, Ibama requested further clarifications from Petrobras regarding the environmental licensing in the Amazon River Mouth, particularly regarding the details of the Wildlife Protection Plan presented by Petrobras in August.

The environmental agency recognized progress in the plan but requested more information regarding the plan’s compliance with regulations and the presence of veterinarians on vessels, as well as specifications about the helicopters needed for emergency situations.

History of Research and Exploration on the Equatorial Margin

The Brazilian Equatorial Margin, which extends from the Amapá region to Rio Grande do Norte, has been the subject of research since the 1980s, aiming to identify new reserves of oil and natural gas.

According to Petrobras, more than 700 wells have been drilled in shallow waters in the region, many of them before the establishment of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).

However, several exploratory wells were abandoned due to mechanical accidents.

In 2015, the discovery of large volumes of oil in the Guyana-Suriname Basin sparked international interest in exploring similar sedimentary basins, such as the Amazon River Mouth Basin, which is the focus of Petrobras.

The company bets on the region’s potential to increase national oil production and diversify Brazil’s energy sources.

With information from Agência Brasil.

“Enough With The Fooling Around,” Says Lula About Ibama’s Refusal to Authorize Petrobras to Explore Oil in the Amazon River Mouth Basin

President Lula Positioned Himself Against Ibama’s Actions and Supported Petrobras in the Search for Exploration of the Amazon River Mouth Basin.

Lula Points Out Need for Research Before Exploration

The Amazon River Mouth Basin and Its Oil Potential

Petrobras’s Strategic Plan and Environmental Licensing

History of Research and Exploration on the Equatorial Margin

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“Enough With The Fooling Around,” Says Lula About Ibama’s Refusal to Authorize Petrobras to Explore Oil in the Amazon River Mouth Basin

President Lula Positioned Himself Against Ibama’s Actions and Supported Petrobras in the Search for Exploration of the Amazon River Mouth Basin.

Lula Points Out Need for Research Before Exploration

The Amazon River Mouth Basin and Its Oil Potential

Petrobras’s Strategic Plan and Environmental Licensing

History of Research and Exploration on the Equatorial Margin

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