It is possible to develop oil and gas projects in the so-called Equatorial Margin with responsibility and sustainability, said this Monday (26) the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite, when commenting on the challenges for exploration in the area of high potential, but environmentally sensitive. .
The promising region, which has aroused interest in the oil sector after major discoveries in Guyana, is one of the focuses of Rio Oil & Gas, a traditional fair for the oil industry that started this Monday in Rio de Janeiro.
If, on the one hand, the Equatorial Margin has registered environmental barriers over the last few years, Petrobras sees the area as a new exploration frontier.
“We work to bring sustainable exploration, exploration with environmental and social responsibility,” Leite told reporters after the opening of Rio Oil & Gas.
“You can certainly do both things together: explore for oil and ensure environmental protection,” he added when commenting on the Equatorial Margin.
Earlier this month, Petrobras contested allegations by the Federal Public Ministry, which had asked for the suspension of a scheduled offshore drilling at the mouth of the Amazon River, alleging impacts to indigenous and quilombola communities in the region.
On the other hand, there are moves by the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) to include 218 blocks on the Equatorial Margin in the permanent offer.
However, in order for them to be included in the notice of the ANP’s permanent offer and to be able to receive proposals, the approval of the Ministries of the Environment and Mines and Energy is required.
The Minister of Mines and Energy, Adolfo Sachsida, reinforced the idea of compatibility of exploration in the Equatorial Margin, respecting environmental and legal frameworks.
“Following the best international practices, we are working to bring Brazil the best legal frameworks in the world… we want more social and environmental responsibility to extract oil from the Equatorial Margin”, he said.
The executive president of Petrobras, Caio Paes de Andrade, said at the opening of the event that the Equatorial Margin is one of the focuses of the state-owned company.
“Today the focus of Petrobras is the pre-salt, it is our most valuable asset and one of the most important provinces in the world. At the same time, we are developing new exploration frontiers, in the Equatorial Margin, north coast and northeast of Brazil”, said Andrade.
“Obviously, we always work with a lot of social and environmental responsibility,” he added.
COP 27
Amid the war between Russians and Ukrainians and measures adopted by European countries to face the Russian gas crisis, the ministers highlighted the importance that Brazil can have in the global scenario of energy supply.
Leite stated that Brazil is going to the climate conference (Cop 27) in Egypt with the mission of showing the world its potential for generating renewable energy.
“This year’s climate conference will be focused on energy, and Brazil will present the country of green energies. From biomass, wind and solar, more than 100 gigawatts of surplus for energy production, a more competitive energy in relation to the world. We are going to present this energy potential for a new green industry to settle in Brazil,” he said.
“We can be exporters of industrialized products with a low carbon footprint… This is the way, and Brazil will be a new supplier to the world”, he added.
The Minister of Mines and Energy took the opportunity to criticize the measures that have been adopted by Europe to face the energy crisis.
“In Europe there are countries freezing energy prices, nationalizing companies and others imposing taxes on excess profits. Here prices are free and we reduce taxes”, he stressed, referring to actions related, for example, to the ICMS on fuels, which helped to reduce values mainly for gasoline and ethanol.
Source: CNN Brasil
