Ibama has approved Petrobras’ Oilspill Wildlife Protection and Response Plan, a key component of the company’s Individual Emergency Plan for offshore exploration in Block FZA-M-59, located in the Foz do Amazonas Basin. This approval marks an important procedural step but does not yet authorize exploration in the Equatorial Margin but rather to proceed with research, considered Brazil’s most promising post–pre-salt frontier.
With this phase cleared, Petrobras will now proceed with inspections and wildlife rescue drills to validate its response capabilities in the event of an oil spill. These activities aim to demonstrate the company’s preparedness in managing potential environmental impacts.
While progress remains slow, industry voices remain optimistic. “This approval does not mean that Ibama is granting permission for oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin, which is seen as the major successor to Brazil’s pre-salt fields. There’s still a long way to go. The process is moving slowly, but I believe it’s only a matter of time. Petrobras has an exceptional technical team and unmatched expertise, and it has already demonstrated, on multiple occasions and in various ways, that sustainable exploration is indeed possible,” said Anidio Correa, R&D Environment Projects Lead at WSB Advisors.
Brazilian Equatorial Margin: new phase
