Brazil greenlights oil drilling in the Amazon

BRAZIL’s state-owned energy company Petrobras is set to begin offshore oil drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River, following a deal that environmentalists have condemned as “an act of sabotage” to the country’s climate goals.

Petrobras has been developing its oil exploration project in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin for five years, citing the region’s “important oil potential” based on recent discoveries in neighbouring countries Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname.

In its Strategic Plan 2050 and Business Plan 2025–2029, Petrobras outlines a US$3bn investment in Brazil’s Equatorial Margin over the next five years, including plans to drill 15 additional wells.

Drilling precautions

Petrobras’ initial operating application was rejected by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) in 2023, prompting intense discussions between the two and subsequent amendments to the proposal.

For drilling to take place, the company has agreed to operate another large Rehabilitation and Decentralization Center (CRD) which includes the use of three offshore vessels dedicated to the care of oiled fauna, and four nearshore service vessels. Additionally, a new simulated emergency response exercise will be carried out during the drilling, focusing on wildlife response strategies.

Magda Chambriard, president of Petrobras, said: “During this process, the company was able to demonstrate the robustness of the entire environmental protection structure that will be available during drilling in the deep waters of Amapá. We will operate on the Equatorial Margin with safety, responsibility and technical quality.”

Environmental pushback

Conservationists have criticised the deal, calling it an act of “sabotage” against the upcoming UN Conference of the Parties (COP) – just two weeks away – and against the climate leadership of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Suely Araújo, coordinator of public policies at the Brazilian environmental organisation Climate Observatory, said: “On the one hand, the Brazilian government acts against humanity by stimulating further fossil expansion, contradicting science and betting on more global warming.

“On the other hand, it hinders COP30 itself, whose most important delivery needs to be the implementation of the determination to phase out fossil fuels.”

Paulo Artaxo, a physicist and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said: “Brazil has the opportunity to explore its enormous potential for solar and wind energy generation and become a world power in sustainable energy. We must not waste this opportunity. Opening new areas for oil production will help to further aggravate climate change, and this certainly goes against the interests of the Brazilian people.”

The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in its Net Zero by 2050 scenario that there is no need for new oil and gas projects if demand for fuels fall in line with the 1.5°C climate target.

A rig has already been installed at a well site in the deep waters of Amapá, where drilling is scheduled to begin “immediately”.