05/18/18
The ANP intends to hire the company that will carry out the environmental assessment of the sedimentary area of the Sergipe-Alagoas and Jacuípe basins at the end of May. The winning company was Ecology in open bidding earlier this year. The hiring of the company is in the final stages.
The objective of the study is to consolidate the knowledge of the sedimentary basins, pointing out environmental risks and the potential of the economic activities that could be developed in these regions.
From the result of this study the agency hopes, for example, to better calibrate the offer of areas in the exploratory auctions. It also projects a better definition of licensing with Ibama for each sector of the basin.
“The study is a good tool to discuss the standard term of reference and conduct joint risk analysis between the ANP and Ibama,” says ANP’s Superintendent of Environment and Operational Safety, Marcelo Mafra, who participated the 9th Seminar on Oil and Gas, promoted by JLT, at the Firjan headquarters in Rio.
The contract lasts 20 months and will originate several products and a final report pointing out suitable areas, not suitable and in moratorium for the accomplishment of economic activities. It is the first time that a study of the type is made and the ANP intends to extend it “in the very near future” to the other Brazilian sedimentary basins. EPE contracted a similar study for the Solimões Basin.
What is the definition of suitable areas today?
Assessments of possible environmental restrictions are made through a joint manifestation of MME and MMA and complemented by state environmental bodies in the case of sedimentary basins. Before each round, the agency asks the environmental agencies involved to prepare an environmental opinion to subsidize the making of that event. This document may present environmental criteria for granting the areas, which will be accepted by the ANP, as well as conditions for the future process of environmental licensing.
According to the ANP, the difficulty to obtain the environmental licenses is usually associated with a lack of information. Therefore, the process for obtaining environmental licenses in areas of new exploratory frontier tends to be more difficult.
Source: Brazil Energy
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