Overview
- Environmental agency Ibama approved Petrobras’ request to drill an exploratory well at Block FZA-M-059 in the Foz de Amazonas, with operations set to start immediately and run for up to five months without oil production.
- Petrobras will drill in deep water more than 2,800 meters down, about 175 kilometers off Amapá and roughly 500 kilometers from the Amazon River’s mouth, in an area known for strong currents and intense storms.
- Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira publicly welcomed the decision, arguing the region’s potential underpins Brazil’s energy sovereignty and future benefits for the country.
- Civil-society groups, including Brazil’s Climate Observatory, said they will file lawsuits alleging illegalities and technical flaws, citing risks to mangroves that comprise most of Brazil’s total and to already declining manatee populations.
- Ibama had denied a license in 2023 and internal staff urged rejection earlier this year, but leadership later authorized a spill-response drill and pre-operational steps; Petrobras says spill models indicate oil would likely not reach the coast or directly impact Indigenous communities.