Brazil's environmental agency approves Petrobras drilling of three additional wells in the Foz do Amazonas Basin

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 3, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) approved Petrobras' request to drill three additional deepwater exploration wells—Manga, PAD-Morpho, and Crotalus—in block FZA-M-59 in the Amazon River mouth basin. This approval expands the scope of drilling under the existing Operating License No. 1684/2025, which initially authorized only the drilling of the Morpho exploration well in 2025. Petrobras must submit an updated drilling schedule to Ibama within 30 calendar days of receiving the license.

The three additional wells were previously included in the environmental impact study submitted by Petrobras in 2021, initially incorporated into the FZA-M-59 exploration plan as three alternative wells in addition to the Morpho well. Ibama previously confirmed to the Brazilian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office that the block's overall plan includes one primary well and three alternative wells, with related offshore drilling activities spanning from 2025 to 2029.

The license also imposes several operational conditions, including updating the project's environmental risk assessment, implementing pollution control and environmental monitoring measures, and prohibiting simultaneous operations of multiple drilling units. Drill cuttings must not be discharged directly into the sea in the main reservoir zones or in shallower reservoir zones where oil has been confirmed.

The first Morpho well in block FZA-M-59 is located approximately 175 kilometers off the coast of Amapá State, at a water depth of 2,886 meters. Petrobras obtained the drilling license for this well in October 2025 and confirmed hydrocarbon-bearing intervals during drilling in August 2026. The company holds a 100% interest in block FZA-M-59, and the additional drilling will continue to acquire data on reservoir dimensions, hydrocarbon properties, and resource conditions in the block.