Oil Found in Dona Tereza’s Backyard in Bahia

She Found Oil In The Backyard Of Her House And Earned The Nickname “Baroness Of Oil” From Her Neighbors

The oil was discovered when construction was taking place in the backyard of Ms. Tereza Barbosa’s house, now 61 years old, in the Lobato neighborhood of Salvador-BA. The bricklayer Edvaldo, 24, who was carrying out the excavation work, had already found the oil more than 7 days before this event made it to the media.

He said that his coworkers at the site were removing rocks when they spotted a pipeline. At first, they thought it was sewage, but upon smelling it, they realized it wasn’t, especially considering the mineral’s viscosity. He quickly called the homeowner since there had been oil extraction in that region in the past.

The lucky residence is located on Getúlio Vargas Street, in Lobato, where in the year of 1939 the first signs of oil onshore in Bahia, literally just a few meters from Ms. Tereza’s house.

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This site has been inactive since 1980 for any type of fossil fuel exploration or production, according to the ANP. At that same location, there are now monuments discussing this part of the history of the city and an area dedicated to sports.

Initially, Ms. Tereza’s biggest fear was the risk of explosion, because she didn’t know how to proceed, aside from the dangers to the environment and her family. At that first moment, she didn’t think about money, but later she stopped to consider the benefits that an oil well could bring to her and the neighborhood.

With incentives, Ms. Tereza promptly contacted the ANP to find out what to do. The agency sent some technicians to evaluate the site and requested that construction work be halted during this period.

Exploration

After the visit from Martinho Sobral Rocha, a licensed petroleum engineer from the ANP, it was confirmed that the mineral was indeed oil, but its exploration was unfeasible because, after all, this well was closed at the time due to not being financially productive; the only thing to be done was to contain and close off the site.

With no possibility of earning a little extra money, Ms. Tereza and her family continue their lives happily to this day, because now they are also part of the city’s history, and friends have come up with various funny nicknames such as the “Baroness of Oil” and more.

If you find an oil well in your backyard and it is proven to be productive and economically viable, know that you are entitled to 1% of the company’s profits, according to Federal Law. This is already happening in the cities of Madre de Deus, São Sebastião do Passé, Catu, and Pojuca.

Want to know more stories and other knowledge about oil in Brazil and the world? Access the Knowledge Blog here.