On Wednesday, September 24, Petrobras received approval from Ibama for the Pre-Operational Assessment (APO), the emergency response drill carried out by the company in August this year. The APO represents the final stage in the environmental licensing process for block FZA-M-59, located in deep waters off the coast of Amapá.

The opinion approving the APO was officially filed by the agency on September 24. In the document, Ibama states that “taking into account the observations recorded by the evaluation team, the robustness of the structure presented, as well as the unprecedented nature of the activity — marked by significant logistical challenges, the scale of the deployed structure, and the breadth of the areas analyzed — the Pre-Operational Assessment for Block FZA-59 is considered approved.”

In its decision, Ibama also requested adjustments to the company’s wildlife protection plan, “in order to contribute to the continuous improvement of the response structure, ensuring its adequacy and alignment with regional requirements.” Petrobras will revise the plan in line with the observations included in the opinion and will resubmit the document to Ibama by this Friday, September 26.

The ruling published by Ibama recommends granting the operating license “once the technical team confirms the incorporation into the plans of the improvements and corrections requested in the opinion.”

With the approval of the APO and fulfillment of the remaining licensing requirements, Petrobras expects to soon receive the environmental license for drilling an exploratory well in block FZA-M-59, through which the company will seek geological information and investigate the potential presence of oil.

Petrobras remains committed to developing Brazil’s Equatorial Margin, recognizing the importance of new frontiers to ensure the country’s energy security and provide the resources needed for a just energy transition.