Oil in the Amazon: Helder Barbalho defends studies – 05/15/2023 – Market

The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho (MDB), defended this Monday (15) that Petrobras may study oil exploration in the basin at the mouth of the Amazon.

At an event by the Esfera Brasil group, Helder said he was in favor of scientific development and that Ibama authorize the study at the site, which is considered environmentally sensitive.

“I can’t fit the defense of science and research when it’s convenient, and when it’s not, I turn the page. What I defend: that Ibama allow Petrobras to research. From then on, establish, in environmentally correct criteria, what methodology and mechanism that can be explored with the least possible impact and, consequently, allow this opportunity to arise”, he said during a panel on Amazon sustainability.

The oil exploration project is located on the boundary between the states of Pará and Amapá. Block 59 belongs to the state-owned company, which is trying to obtain permission from IBAMA to drill in the area.

However, the initiative has caused controversy. In April, 80 organizations sent a letter to the federal government asking that Petrobras’ license to explore for oil not be issued.

The issue is considered sensitive because it has the potential to trigger a ripple effect, with exploration in dozens of other oil blocks currently offered in the basin.

According to the governor, it is not consistent to authorize other countries to extract oil from the region and leave Brazil out.

“Can I admit that France has been exploring oil in this same basin for ten years, and Brazil does not allow itself to research the opportunity for a company the size of Petrobras to be able to do the same?”, he questioned.

Helder said he had met with President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). According to the governor, Lula stated that he will carry out the mediation process between Petrobras and the environmental agencies in order to allow the studies.

“Based on the survey, it is a State decision. Will Brazil advance on the process of opportunities in the basin at the mouth of the Amazon? I understand that, if there is environmental compatibility, this is an opportunity”, he argued.

The emedebist spoke about criticism that the exploitation of fossil fuels would be incompatible with the current environmental agenda, whose focus has been the acceleration of renewable energies.

“Brazil will give up on this [fósseis] for decades to come? Maybe it’s a discussion we can have in 50 years. But is Brazil currently in a position to give up an opportunity for the sustainable exploitation of a fossil fuel? I understand that it is a discussion that must be deepened”, he argued.

In his assessment, the debate cannot be guided by a question of “narrow thinking”, adding that this may even be an opportunity to diversify the region’s economy.

The mouth of the Amazon is in the sights of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which has announced plans to scale up national production and make Brazil the fourth largest oil producer in the world — today it is the eighth, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

At the end of March, in a press release, Alexandre Silveira, who heads the portfolio, refers to the equatorial margin as a potential “new pre-salt”.

Pará wants to advance in green business

Helder Barbalho has participated in several events and forums on sustainability, publicizing Pará as an exponent on the subject.

According to him, the environmental solution for Brazil involves Pará, which is home to some of the biggest emitters of carbon. In 2019, the city that most emitted greenhouse gases in the country was Altamira (PA), due to the high rate of deforestation.

The governor has been seeking to change this logic to unlock an economy that values ​​standing forests. During the Esfera Brasil event, he said that he will launch, in the second half of 2023, auctions for the concession of forest areas.

“Initially, we should place around 4 million hectares of public forest areas on the market for private concessions,” he said.

In addition, Helder also plans to make concessions for restoration areas so that private operators can plant seeds and restore degraded areas. The expectation is to start with a volume between 10 and 20 thousand hectares;

According to him, these are green business opportunities to attract activities, employment, income and sustainability to the region.

“I effectively believe, the numbers show me this, that it is possible to reconcile the preservation of the asset that exists today [com a exploração econômica]”, he said.

“What I have tried to defend is that the forest needs to be worth as much as an area, for example, of corn or soybeans. Today, a hectare of the same forest area is worth 10% of a planted area. While there was this distance of value of the land, the rural producer —whether from family farming or the larger scale producer— will always be tempted to opt for the anthropization of the land”, he said.