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Traditional Communities of the São Francisco River Mouth Were Not Consulted About Oil and Gas Exploration by ExxonMobil
A mega oil and gas exploration project by the American oil company ExxonMobil in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, at the mouth of the São Francisco River, is starting to come to fruition without the proper hearing of riverine, quilombola, indigenous, and fishing communities, says the website Marco Zero, as mandated by Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Check out this news: ExxonMobil, the largest oil company in the U.S. and operator of nine oil blocks in Sergipe, donates over 287 thousand reais to combat hunger for 3600 Sergipe families
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ExxonMobil’s Oil and Gas Exploration Project
The ExxonMobil project envisions offshore drilling activities for exploratory oil and natural gas wells in six blocks, known as the SEAL Project. Up to 11 wells may be drilled. The Marco Zero website also cites the Environmental Impact Report, indicating that nearly 80 municipalities, from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio de Janeiro, are located in the large area of influence of the project and thus subject to potential impacts from ExxonMobil’s exploration activities. So far, through an open letter, over 100 organizations from Brazil and abroad have opposed the licensing for exploration in the region.
According to Marco Zero, ExxonMobil Did Not Consult the Local Population
According to the Marco Zero website, the population was not consulted about the possible oil and gas exploration by the American oil company ExxonMobil at the mouth of the São Francisco River. Maria Izaltina Silva, 54, is one of the residents of Brejão dos Negros, in the municipality of Brejo Grande, Sergipe. The quilombo comprises five communities in a fishing and extractive territory where 486 families live. It is the closest location to ExxonMobil’s exploration points, 50 kilometers away, on the border with the Alagoan municipality of Piaçabuçu.
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The communities along the São Francisco River report that Ibama has ignored the right to prior, free, and informed consultations and is already moving on to the next phase of the project, regarding authorization for drilling, with a public hearing held only in virtual format. Community representatives believe that the online consultation is inadequate for a number of reasons, including a basic one: the lack of internet access in some communities.
ExxonMobil Informs About Oil Exploration
“Regarding the licensing of offshore wells in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, ExxonMobil is following the recommendations and protocols suggested by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama). Our priority is to preserve the health and safety of the community and the environment. It is worth noting that more than 190 virtual meetings have been held with representatives of the communities in the project’s coverage area, involving over 560 stakeholders and an online public hearing with Ibama on September 14.”
Also Read This News: ExxonMobil Starts Drilling in the Titan Block, Located in the Pre-Salt of the Santos Basin
ANP – National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, announced through its active wells that the American oil company ExxonMobil started, after three years, the first exploratory drilling for oil and gas in the Titan block, located in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin. According to the Petronotícias portal, the drilling ship West Saturn is drilling at a water depth of 2,644 meters.
The pioneering oil and gas well of ExxonMobil, located in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, was named Titan-1 and drilling activity began last Sunday (15). It is worth recalling that the block is operated by ExxonMobil (64%) in partnership with QPI Brazil (36%) and was auctioned in 2018 during the 5th Round of Sharing. The signature bonus for the area was the highest of the auction, along with Saturn, amounting to R$ 3.125 billion.
In 2019, the ANP board approved the minimum exploratory program (PEM) for Titan, a block in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin contracted in the 5th sharing round. A well is expected to be drilled by 2020, in a campaign that is part of a planning that may reach up to 22 wells in the pre-salt. ExxonMobil has initiated two fronts of environmental licensing for the areas it won in the 14th and 15th rounds and in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th pre-salt auctions, held since September 2017. Up to 22 exploratory wells are to be drilled, including two firm wells, one in block C-M-789 and the other in the Titan block.
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