President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized, on Wednesday (12), the delay of Ibama to grant authorization for Petrobras to conduct oil exploration surveys at the mouth of Amazonas.
In an interview with Daily Radio FMfrom Macapá (AP), Lula defended the importance of evaluating the potential of the region and stated that the environmental agency “seems to act against the government.”
“It’s not that I will have it explore; I want it to be explored (…) what is not going to be in this lenga-lenga. Ibama is a government body and it looks like it is an organ against the government, ”said Lula.
It is expected that, later this week, the Civil House will meet with Ibama to discuss the authorization to Petrobras to conduct oil exploration research in the region.
“Before exploring, we have to research to see if it has oil, you often dug a 2,000 meter -deep hole and find no what you imagined finding,” said the president.
The president also stressed that Petrobras is a “responsible” company and will fulfill all the required environmental rites. In addition, he pointed out that oil exploration can be fundamental to finance the energy transition.
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“But we cannot know that there is a wealth under us and we will not explore, because it is this wealth that we will have money to build the famous and dreamed energy transition,” he added.
The government estimates that oil production in the region can generate a collection of up to R $ 1 trillion. The defense of the exploitation of the equatorial margin is part of one with Senate President David Alcolumbre (Union-AP), which represents the state of Amapá, where is located the area with potential up to 30 billion barrels of oil.
In 2023, Ibama denied the license to Petrobras, and since then the state company has worked to meet the required environmental requirements. Despite Lula’s criticism of the delay in authorization, Environment Minister Marina Silva said that neither her folder nor Ibama, noting that the environmental impacts of large enterprises are a government concern.
