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Petrobras plans to start drilling oil wells and hopes to obtain an environmental license at the mouth of the Amazon early next year.
Petrobras plans to start drilling oil wells in the basin at the mouth of the Amazon River next year. This action is heavily criticized by environmentalists, and the announcement was made public last Friday, at a press conference, by Fernando Borges, director of Commercialization and Logistics at the state-owned company. Borges stated that Petrobras expects to receive the environmental license in early 2022 to start drilling activities at the end of next year. Read more: Sale of Petrobras refinery in Bahia was authorized by TCU, according to MME minister
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Petrobras intends to obtain the environmental license to explore oil at the mouth of the Amazon River
According to Fernando Borges, Petrobras expects to obtain the environmental license in early 2022, and the forecast is that they can start a drilling campaign for at least three exploratory oil wells by the end of the same year. He also pointed out that the state-owned company's work with Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) is well advanced.
The Director of Commercialization and Logistics at Petrobras also says that the state-owned company has been very dedicated in terms of meeting the licensing requirements in a sensitive area like that, demonstrating security in the action. It is noteworthy that, previously, the French oil company Total made the same request to explore the exploratory oil blocks at the mouth of the Amazon River.
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French giant in the oil sector had a negative response from Ibama in explorations in oil blocks
At the end of 2018, the French Total received a negative response from Ibama, claiming that there was a risk of irreparable damage to the biogenic reefs present in the region of the mouth of the Amazon River and to marine biodiversity more broadly. The French oil company previously operated five exploratory oil blocks in the region and were close to a large coral system that was discovered in 2016.
In 2020, Total sold its stake in Foz do Amazonas to Petrobras, with the state was already a partner in concessions. Fernando Borges also mentions that Petrobras has more knowledge of the Brazilian basins and is doing a robust study of environmental impacts and emergency plans.
The Foz do Amazonas oil basin became increasingly coveted after the discovery of giant oil reserves in Guyana, in 2015, by the American oil giant ExxonMobil. Last year, Total had also discovered other reserves in Suriname.
See also: Açú Petróleo signs a contract with Petrobras to export 240 million barrels of oil in two years
Petrobras signed a contract with the port of Açu, in São João da Barra, in Rio de Janeiro, to increase oil exports by 140%. Açu Petróleo, a partner of the German multinational Oiltaking and Prumo Logística, informed that Petrobras will start to ship around 240 million barrels of goods (about 300 thousand barrels per day), through the Açu port complex, in two years.
To meet the oil export demand, Açu Petróleo also plans to build an oil deposit and connect it to the existing network of the site by pipelines. This is the second time that Petrobras has asked for an increase in exports through the port of Açu, driven by the increase in oil production and by meeting the demand of the foreign market.
