Brazil's government approved on Monday exploratory drilling by state-run oil-giant Petrobras near the mouth of the Amazon River. The decision comes only weeks before the United Nations climate conference in Belem, COP30, where efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels will be discussed.
The Equatorial Margin deposit off the coast of Brazil, which stretches from Brazil’s border with Suriname to a part of the country’s Northeast region, is believed to be rich in oil and gas.
Petrobras said in a statement that the drilling could start right away and take up to five months. It requested to conduct the exploratory drilling in block FZA-M-059, which lies 175 kilometers (108 miles) offshore the northern Brazilian state of Amapa bordering Suriname. The company added that the exploratory well will not produce any oil.
The decision by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, which is run by the country's environment ministry, was publicly celebrated by Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira.
“The Equatorial Margin represents the future of our energy sovereignty. Brazil cannot give up knowing its potential,” Silveira said on his social media channels after the decision was announced. “We made a firm and technical defense (of the drilling in the region) so we can assure that the exploration takes place with complete environmental responsibility, within the highest international standards and concrete benefits for Brazilians.”
In June, Brazil auctioned off several potential land and offshore oil sites near the Amazon River, as it aims to expand production in untapped regions despite protests from environmental and Indigenous groups. Nineteen offshore blocks were awarded to Chevron, ExxonMobil, Petrobras and China National Petroleum Corporation. The oil companies see the area as highly promising because it shares geological characteristics with Guyana, where some of the largest offshore oil discoveries of the 21st century have been made.
This region is considered to have high potential risk due to strong currents and the proximity to the Amazon seashore.
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