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With Investments Estimated in Billions of Dollars and Direct Impact on Public Revenue, the Equatorial Margin May Become One of the Main Vectors of Energy Growth in the Country in the Coming Decades.
The Institute for Strategic Studies of Oil, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (Ineep) launched a study advocating that the Brazilian Equatorial Margin be recognized as a strategic area by the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE).
The proposal aims to ensure the country’s energy sovereignty and to enhance investments and public revenues, as well as promote regional development.
Located along the coastline extending from Amapá to Rio Grande do Norte, the region is considered a new frontier for the exploration of oil and natural gas in Brazil and could attract more than US$ 56 billion in investments and generate around US$ 200 billion in revenues for the state.
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The Ineep also proposes changes to the exploration model of the region’s blocks, suggesting the adoption of the sharing regime to ensure broader benefits for Brazilian society.
Equatorial Margin is a New Energy Frontier for Brazil
The Equatorial Margin encompasses a vast maritime area north of the country, covering the basins of Foz do Amazonas, Pará-Maranhão, Barreirinhas, Ceará, and Potiguar.
According to the federal government, this area is considered a strategic priority for the Ministry of Mines and Energy, as it represents a promising alternative to the already consolidated production in the pre-salt.
The Ineep study highlights that the exploration of the Equatorial Margin will not only contribute to maintaining national energy self-sufficiency but also has the potential to finance public policies in essential areas such as health, education, and infrastructure.
This perspective is based on forecasts of financial return from the auctions and exploration of the blocks, which could generate strong economic effects in the medium and long term.
Sharing Regime is Seen as Essential for the Equatorial Margin
Currently, the 65 blocks located in deep and ultra-deep waters of the region are included in the 5th Permanent Offering Cycle of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP), scheduled for June and operating under the concession regime.
However, Ineep advocates for the removal of these blocks from this round and proposes that they be transferred to the sharing regime.
Unlike the concession model, where the produced oil belongs to the company that won the auction, under the sharing regime the state retains part of the production.
This model, already used in pre-salt areas, is viewed by Ineep as more suitable to ensure direct public gains and greater strategic oversight of energy exploration.
Regional Development and Energy Security on the Agenda
For Ineep researchers, the Equatorial Margin should be articulated with a national development project that encompasses the following objectives:
- Energy Security and Sovereignty;
- Expansion of Domestic Energy Supply;
- Strengthening of the National Industry;
- Increase in Refining Capacity;
- Reduction of Regional Inequalities;
- Promotion of Technological Innovation Aimed at Energy Diversification;
- Adaptation to Climate Change and Decarbonization of the Economy.
“Advances in the exploration of oil and gas in the MEB do not represent setbacks in relation to the energy transition,” emphasizes the study, reinforcing that the region of 360,000 km² was recently incorporated into Brazilian territory after UN recognition, further enhancing its geopolitical relevance.
Strategic Recommendations from Ineep
The study, prepared by technical directors Ticiana Alvares and Mahatma Ramos dos Santos, along with researchers Francismar Ferreira and Maria Clara Arouca, provides recommendations that go beyond mere resource exploration. Among them:
Recognition of the Equatorial Margin as a strategic area by the CNPE;
Resumption of Petrobras’s exclusivity in conducting exploration and production operations;
Regulation of the Social Fund to ensure the redistribution of profits from exploration;
Strengthening the autonomy of Ibama, ensuring environmental protection in the process.
According to the authors, “the debate on the MEB cannot be limited to the dichotomy between the environment and development,” emphasizing that the discussion must integrate climate, geopolitical, and sovereignty variables.
The Ineep states that this is just the first of a series of studies that will be launched with the aim of contributing to the debate on strategic energy policies in Brazil.
The proposal for recognition of the Equatorial Margin as a strategic area marks an important step in the construction of an energy policy that unites security, sustainability, and economic development.
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