Lula Backs Petrobras’ Equatorial Margin Test After Ibama Approves Exploratory Well
Regulators cleared the one-well probe after a three-day emergency simulation validated a faster spill-response plan centered in Oiapoque.
Overview
- Ibama president Rodrigo Agostinho said the research license followed a Petrobras drill that tested emergency response for three days and met timing requirements.
- Petrobras began drilling the Morpho exploratory well on October 20 after presenting what its chief called an unusually detailed emergency plan.
- The operation is a non-production exploration to gather geological data and sits about 500 km from the Amazon River mouth and 175 km off the Amapa coast.
- The company installed an emergency-response base in Oiapoque roughly 170 km from the rig, replacing a previously proposed hub in Belem about 700 km away.
- President Lula defended the permit as a technical step given Brazil’s energy needs, while Petrobras’ request to add three accessory wells remains under Ibama’s technical review and environmental concerns persist.