Investments are expected to generate more than R$ 450 million for the recovery of the Amazon rainforest.
Petrobras and the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES ) have launched the first call for proposals under the ProFloresta+ program for the contracting of 5 million high-integrity carbon credits. Five contracts will be signed for 1 million credits each, originating from the ecological restoration of at least 3,000 hectares in private or public areas under forest concessions within the Amazon biome, over a period of 25 years.
'Our team is very optimistic about this first transaction of carbon credits for ecological restoration by Petrobras. The expectation is that it will serve as a benchmark for price and technical requirements for the generation of high-quality carbon credits from the forest restoration of our biomes,' assessed Angélica Laureano, Director of Sustainability and Energy Transition at Petrobras. Petrobras, in partnership with BNDES, structured the ProFloresta+ program to offer financing to the developers of the winning projects through special credit lines, such as the Climate Fund, with rates and terms suitable for ecological restoration projects that can last up to 25 years and with a financial cost of 1% per year. The program has the potential to generate more than R$ 450 million in investments.
'BNDES is helping to transform the forestry sector into an engine of the green economy. With credit, non-reimbursable resources, and financial innovation, we are creating real conditions to scale up the restoration and sustainable use of our biomes. ProFloresta+ is an example of this vision: an instrument that will strengthen the high-integrity carbon market and generate concrete benefits for people and the planet,' stated Tereza Campello, Socio-environmental Director of BNDES.
The ProFloresta+ program will enable greenfield projects, and therefore, the schedule for delivering the carbon credits was developed considering a period for the winning company to complete the necessary steps for structuring the project, including land acquisition or leasing, structuring the supply of seeds and seedlings, planting, and certification of carbon credits. The delivery of the first credits must be made within seven years of signing the contract, with subsequent deliveries every five years, until the completion of the 25-year contractual term.
The deadline for submitting proposals is 30 days. Among the companies and projects that pass the technical pre-qualification phase, those that develop ecological restoration projects with native species and that, through the reforestation of degraded areas, offer carbon credits at the lowest price will win. These credits will have their purchase guaranteed by Petrobras in long-term contracts ( offtake ) at a price to be defined in the bidding process.
In this first call for proposals, consortia of up to four companies will be admitted, and each bidder (individual or consortium) may win up to three contracts, totaling a maximum of 3 million credits. Proposals can be made for lots of 1, 2, and/or 3 million credits. The call for proposals is available on Petronect, Petrobras' purchasing portal, at www.petronect.com.br (Opportunity 7004526249).
Partnership
A joint initiative of Petrobras and BNDES, announced in March 2025, ProFloresta+ encourages forest restoration in the Amazon, remunerated through the sale of carbon credits. The program's goal is to promote the restoration of approximately 50,000 hectares of degraded areas in the Amazon, generating 15 million carbon credits.
The initiative received technical support from the Nature Investment Lab (NIL) and the Climate and Society Institute (iCS). With iCS support, Agroicone and Imaflora worked on developing technical requirements for integrity, co-benefits, and socio-environmental safeguards, while the law firm Mattos Filho provided legal counsel.
In addition to reducing and offsetting emissions, ProFloresta+ contributes to increasing vegetation cover with native species, conserving biodiversity, and strengthening the technical and management structure of the forest restoration sector's production chain and the carbon credit market in Brazil.
Source: Petrobras
