Environment Agency Rejects Petrobras' Request to Drill at Amazon River Mouth

Reuters
Thursday, May 18, 2023

The Brazilian environmental protection agency Ibama said on Wednesday it had rejected a request from state-run oil company Petrobras to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon River.

The much-awaited decision follows a technical recommendation by the agency's experts to reject the proposal.

Petrobras has for years been trying to open up a new exploration front on the coast of Amapa state in northern Brazil near Guyana, where Exxon Mobil has made important discoveries.

A technical report from Ibama had previously advised against the request, citing discrepancies in environmental studies, inadequate measures for communicating with indigenous communities, and insufficiencies in Petrobras' plan to safeguard the region's wildlife.

Petrobras had several opportunities to solve controversial points of its project, but it was still presenting "worrying inconsistencies" for the operation in a new exploratory frontier of "high socio-environmental vulnerability," Ibama said in a statement.

Petrobras did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reuters - Reporting by Anthony Boadle, writing by Carolina Pulice; editing by Uttaresh Venkateshwaran)


Categories: Offshore Industry News South Ameria

Related Stories

Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Construction Well Underway

Two DDW Offshore’s AHTS Vessels Set to Sail for Australia Job

French Firm Secures Service Contract for Coral Sul FLNG Off Mozambique

Current News

ASL to Work on Metocean Data for Offshore Wind Project in Atlantic Canada

RWE Gets Clearance for 100MW Electrolyzer for OW-to-Hydrogen Production

DOF Group Completes Acquisition of Maersk Supply Service

Tyra II Facilities to Operate at Full Technical Capacity Sooner Than Expected

Subscribe for OE Digital E‑News