Oil company Petrobras begins drilling in the controversial Equatorial Margin

The Brazilian state Petrobras announced this Saturday that it began drilling in the new oil horizon known as the Equatorial Margin, a region located in the north of the country and whose exploitation has caused controversy due to its proximity to the mouth of the Amazon.

The company began work in search of oil and gas about 53 kilometers off the coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte (northeast), as reported in a statement.

The drilling of the well, named “Pitu Oeste”, will take “three to five months” and occurs after having received, in October, the license from environmental organizations to drill that and another well in deep waters of the account. Marina Potiguar, in the Equatorial Margin.

The point for that second well (“Anhangá”) is located 79 kilometers from the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.

The exploitation of this vast area, adjacent to regions where Suriname and Guyana have discovered gigantic reserves, has generated great controversy in Brazil since it includes the area in front of the mouth of the river Amazonwith delicate chains of corals and vulnerable mangroves.

Petrobrascontrolled by the Brazilian State, but with shares traded on the stock exchanges of São Paulo, New York and Madrid, stated that the action will allow it to “obtain more geological information” to verify the extent of the oil reserves discovered in 2014.

If it is confirmed that it is viable to launch an exploitation project, it will be necessary to obtain a new specific environmental permit for the production phase.

As stated in its strategic plan for the period 2024-2028, Petrobras intends to invest 3.1 billion dollars for research in the Equatorial Margin, where it plans to “drill 16 wells” throughout the five-year period.

”Petrobras aims to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the region, without forgetting the importance of joining forces to promote national energy security.

The Equatorial Margin will be an important asset even for global sustainability,” said the president of the oil company, Jean Paul Prates, in the note.

The firm decision of Petrobras to explore and exploit in the Equatorial Margin has generated strong criticism from environmentalists, who see the president’s government Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a contradictory discourse, since it defends a sustainable energy transition and at the same time continues to bet on oil.

The Executive of the progressive leader defends the right of Petrobras to explore that extensive area and alleges that the closest well to the mouth of the Amazon is located about 500 kilometers away.