[REVISION HISTORY]

Petrobras oil exploration in Foz do Amazonas faces legal aid

Updated 37 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-22 01:42 UTC → 2026-09-24 03:20 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Petrobras is advancing exploration in Brazil’s Equatorial Margin, specifically within the Foz do Amazonas Basin. Recent analyses indicate that the oil discovered in the Morpho well is of high quality, characterized as light oil that could rival the significant reserves found in Guyana and Suriname. ~~Petrobras plans to resume drilling at the Morpho well to focus on contingent wells, including Manga and Crotalus, to better estimate reservoir volumes.~~ Financial analysts from Scotiabank suggest the Foz do Amazonas region is vital for maintaining Petrobras’s production levels beyond 2032. ~~Estimates indicate the northwest portion alone could generate a net present value of approximately US$ 15.9 billion.~~ However, the push for fossil fuel expansion faces ~~scrutiny. The~~ scrutiny from groups like Observatório do Clima ~~notes that Brazil’s 2035 Energy Decadal Plan allocates 80% of planned investments to oil~~ and ~~gas, which they argue represents an addition to energy rather than a transition. Additionally,~~ WWF-Brasil ~~has raised concerns~~ regarding ~~the potential social and~~ environmental ~~costs of exploring the Foz do Amazonas.~~ and social costs. Legal challenges ~~have emerged~~ persist as the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) has requested ~~that~~ the ~~Regional Federal Court~~ immediate suspension of ~~the 1st Region (TRF1) immediately suspend the~~ drilling ~~license~~ licenses for block ~~FZA-M-59. The MPF argues that operations impact 17 municipalities in Pará, affecting indigenous families, quilombolas,~~ FZA-M-59, citing potential impacts on indigenous, quilombola, and artisanal ~~fishermen.~~ fishing communities. Petrobras has denied direct socio-environmental ~~impacts on indigenous lands, stating its studies show no direct harm and that~~ impacts, noting it has conducted ~~extensive dialogue through more than~~ over 80 meetings across 22 municipalities. Following the discovery ~~of high-quality oil~~ in the Morpho well, ~~IBAMA recently adjusted the license to allow for three additional wells.~~ Petrobras ~~intends~~ is preparing to begin drilling the Manga, PAD Morpho, and Crotalus wells in ~~early~~ January 2027. ~~Furthermore,~~ To facilitate this, IBAMA has approved the replacement of the Foresea drillship NS-42 with Constellation’s NS-43 (Amaralina Star). Petrobras executives described the initial results from the Morpho well as a “grata resposta” (grateful response) after a decade of waiting for environmental licensing, though they noted the licensing process remains difficult and time-consuming. The company also holds ten exploratory blocks in the region in partnership with ExxonMobil, which are currently awaiting environmental licenses.

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