Under criticism, ANP auctions 19 oil blocks at the mouth of the Amazon for R$844 million
The National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) granted, this Tuesday (17), the exploration of 19 oil blocks at the mouth of the Amazon River to two business consortiums, in an auction criticized by environmentalists, while Brazil prepares to host, in November, COP30, the UN climate conference.
Nineteen of the 47 oil blocks located in the Amazon River basin were sold for R$844 million by two consortiums: one formed by Petrobras and the American company ExxonMobil, and another by the American company Chevron and the Chinese state group CNPC.
This deep-water exploration area in the Atlantic Ocean is located near the mouth of this emblematic river, which cuts through the largest tropical forest on the planet, crucial in absorbing greenhouse gases, responsible for global warming.
Also called the “Equatorial Margin”, this area is considered the “new energy frontier” in Brazil.
“It is alarming that more than 40% of the blocks offered in the Foz do Amazonas Basin were sold in this ANP auction,” warned Mariana Andrade, oceanographer and coordinator of the Oceans front at Greenpeace Brazil, in a statement sent to AFP.
Around 30 companies, including the largest in the sector, such as Shell, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Total and Petrobras, are participating in the auction, held at a hotel in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro.
A hundred protesters gathered in front of the site early in the morning. Members of the Arayara collective, including indigenous people wearing headdresses and traditional clothing, held up a sign with the slogan: “Stop the Doomsday Auction.”
The companies were called to present offers to obtain hydrocarbon exploration concessions in 172 blocks, most of them offshore, which will then have to pass through controls by Ibama, which grants the licenses for effective operation.
Criticism from environmentalists is focused mainly on the 47 blocks located in the Amazon river basin.
Last Thursday, the Federal Public Ministry had requested the suspension of the auction, considering that it “represents a serious violation of fundamental rights, international commitments and Brazilian environmental legislation”, in the absence of “adequate prior studies” on the impact of oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon.
Meanwhile, Petrobras is waiting for a license from Ibama to start a mega oil exploration project in the same area in a block whose concession it obtained in 2013.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has shown himself to be in favor of this project, despite criticism from environmentalists, a paradox for the PT member, who wants to lead the global fight against global warming.
“We cannot do without it because it is this wealth, if it exists, that will help us make the energy transition, that will give us money to take care of our forest,” said Lula in February.
“We have to act very responsibly. I don’t want oil exploration to cause any damage to the environment,” he added.
In November, Brazil will host the UN climate conference in Belém do Pará, COP30, the first to be held in the Amazon.
“Brazil is missing a historic opportunity to lead the decarbonization and environmental protection of the planet. By looking to the past, the government increasingly exposes the decision already made to increase – and significantly – oil production in the country,” lamented Suely Araújo, former president of Ibama and coordinator of the Climate Observatory, in a statement.
As Latin America's largest oil producer, Brazil expects to generate 5.3 million barrels per day in 2030, compared to 4.68 million in April this year, according to official data.
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