Without mentioning the Equatorial Margin, Marina defends Ibama's 'technical role'

247 – Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva (Rede), defended the importance of Ibama and said this Friday (21) that the agency makes technical decisions regardless of the government. Minister Marina Silva did not mention the Equatorial Margin, where Petrobras plans to invest US$ 3.1 billion under its 2024–2028 Strategic Plan. The company aims to drill 16 wells during that period.

"It is not up to Ibama to decide which projects are strategic for Brazil’s infrastructure or energy matrix. It evaluates the projects from the standpoint of the quality of environmental licensing," said the minister, according to reports published in O Estado de S.Paulo.

The Environment Minister made the statement after the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, said that the president of Ibama, Rodrigo Agostinho, lacks the “courage” to speed up the licensing process.

In the Equatorial Margin lies the oil and gas exploratory block FZA-M-59. The region includes the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Pará, and Amapá.

Of the 16 wells Petrobras plans to drill, the company has so far received authorization from Ibama to drill two structures off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte.