Petrobras’ exploratory program in the Equatorial Margin to begin in November

(PN) Petrobras’ long-awaited exploratory program in Foz do Amazonas, on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, should finally get off the ground in the coming months. According to the company’s director of exploration and production, Fernando Borges, the first drilling in the area should take place in November, in a water depth of 2,800 meters.

“The licensing process is progressing as planned. It is now up to Petrobras to demonstrate, in a simulation, which the industry calls a ‘pre-operational assessment’, that the resources to contain any leakage are efficient. IBAMA monitors this simulation and issues the license”, said the executive.

The simulation mentioned by Borges should start in the second half of October. For this operation, the company will have a drilling rig contracted for ultra-deep waters and six vessels to support offshore operations. The company’s logistics on the Equatorial Margin will also have three aircraft and a fixed-wing plane to transport workers from Oiapoque to Macapá. The base of operations will be in the Port of Belém.

“We are very confident in discovering [oil] in the same way that it is being discovered in Guyana and Suriname. ExxonMobil is already producing 340,000 barrels a day of oil. They have two units in production and another two under construction. ExxonMobil has already announced 65 exploratory wells over the next six years for Guyana. In other words, we are a bit late in terms of discovering this potential in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin”, said the director.

Borges also recalled that Petrobras has 19 blocks on the Equatorial Margin, and the company is expected to drill 14 in the next five years, with an estimated budget of US$ 2 billion. “Petrobras is betting big that it will discover oil and have a new region that produces and generates wealth for society on the Equatorial Margin,” he concluded.