Equatorial margin: Petrobras announces 2nd discovery – 04/09/2024 – Environment

Petrobras reported this Tuesday (9) that it found an accumulation of oil in ultra-deep waters in the Potiguar basin, on the Brazilian equatorial margin. It is the second discovery made in 2024 in the region, the target of conflict between the government’s energy and environmental areas.

It was the first time that the state-owned company found reservoirs in the region similar to those of the giant discoveries in Guyana and Suriname, which should reinforce the pressure for the release of environmental licenses in the area.

Named Anhangá, the well responsible for the second discovery was drilled near the border between Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará, 190 kilometers from Fortaleza. It is 24 kilometers from the first discovery, called Pitu Oeste.

The discovery is unprecedented in the region as it was made in a type of reservoir called turbidite. “This is what we are waiting for on the equatorial margin,” said geologist Pedro Zalán, who spent his career at the state-owned company.

For him, the result reinforces evidence that giant reserves like those in neighboring countries can be found in basins such as Barreirinhas and Foz do Amazonas, for which Petrobras has already heard denials from Ibama (Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources).

The state-owned company highlighted in a statement that the discoveries still require evaluations to prove their economic viability. And he once again defended the search for oil in the region, which was also the target of criticism from environmental organizations due to commitments to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

“The exploratory activities on the equatorial margin represent another step in Petrobras’ commitment to seeking the replacement of reserves and the development of new exploratory frontiers that ensure global energy demand is met during the energy transition,” he said.

In the text, the president of Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, stated that the company has a history of almost 3,000 wells drilled in deep or ultra-deep waters, with no impact on the environment, which enables it “to open new frontiers and deal with total safety its operations on the equatorial margin”.

The environmental license for the two wells in the Potiguar basin was issued by Ibama at the end of 2023, leading Petrobras to review its planning and send the drilling rig to the region that would be used in block 59 of the Foz do Amazonas basin, on the coast. from Amapá.

The company, however, maintains the hope of reviewing Ibama’s position in relation to this block, considered by the oil sector to be an important test to assess whether Brazil has the potential to find giant reserves in the region like those found in neighboring countries.

“The exploratory success in Guyana and Suriname corroborates the importance of Petrobras continuing its campaign in the basins of the Brazilian equatorial margin, as foreseen in its Strategic Plan 2024-2028”, stated Petrobras in the statement released this Tuesday.

The plan foresees US$3.1 billion (around R$15 billion) for the exploration of the equatorial margin, with 16 wells expected in the region.

The text distributed by the company reinforces the argument that Brazil needs new reserves to avoid becoming an oil importer. “Hence the importance of energy diversification, guaranteeing both the supply of oil and investments in new low-carbon energies”, he says.

The discovery is announced amidst the president of the state-owned company, Jean Paul Prates, who is in conflict with the Ministries of Mines and Energy and the Civil House. Last week, rumors about his dismissal gained strength after an interview with the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, with Sheet.

Although he contacted the president of BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), Aloizio Mercadante to preside over the state-owned company, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has not yet publicly commented on the case.