Petrobras has received the operating license from Ibama for drilling an exploratory well in block FZA-M-059 , located in deep waters of Amapá , 500 km from the mouth of the Amazon River and 175 km from the coast, on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin.
The rig is currently at the well site, and drilling is scheduled to begin immediately, with an estimated duration of five months. Through this exploratory survey, the company seeks to obtain more geological information and assess whether the area contains oil and gas on an economic scale. There is no oil production at this stage.
Photo: NS-42 drilling rig. Source: Petrobras
'The completion of this process, with the effective issuance of the license, is an achievement for Brazilian society and demonstrates the commitment of national institutions to dialogue and the viability of projects that can represent the country's development. It has been almost five years of work, during which Petrobras has worked with municipal, state, and federal governments and environmental agencies. During this process, the company was able to demonstrate the robustness of the entire environmental protection structure that will be available during drilling in the deep waters of Amapá. We will operate on the Equatorial Margin with safety, responsibility, and technical quality. We hope to obtain excellent results from this research and prove the existence of oil in the Brazilian portion of this new global energy frontier,' said Magda Chambriard, president of Petrobras.
Petrobras met all requirements established by Ibama , fully complying with the environmental licensing process . As a final stage of the evaluation, the company conducted an on-site simulation in August, called a Pre-Operational Assessment (APO), through which Ibama verified Petrobras' capabilities and the effectiveness of its emergency response plan.
The company remains committed to the development of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, recognizing the importance of new frontiers to ensure the country's energy security and the resources necessary for a fair energy transition.
Source: Petrobras
