Jean Paul Prates says that exploring the mouth of the Amazon is a “state decision”, but repeats alarmism with the threat of oil imports – Instituto Humanitas Unisinos

President of Petrobras admits that exploring fossil fuels is a State choice, but boasts the fact that Brazilian reserves guarantee production “only” for 13 years.

The information is published by Clima info, 24-04-2024.

A Guyana never leaves the head of the president of the Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates. The reserves of fossil fuels from the neighboring country are always cited by the executive to try to justify the oil and gas exploration on the equatorial margin, particularly at the mouth of the Amazon. If that wasn’t enough, Prates now makes an apocalyptic speech that the Brazil will return to importing oil if it does not explore fossil fuels in the region of high environmental sensitivity. But the numbers and trends show that this is not the case at all.

At the “Brazil Today Seminar”, in São Pauloon Monday (22/2), the president of the state-owned company said that the decision to explore Petroleum on the equatorial margin it belongs to the Brazilian State, as I have said on other occasions. But, when saying that he “respects a lot” the minister of EnvironmentMarina Silva, stated that the debate now “is not just about” the environmental license for the company to drill an oil well in the FZA-M-59 block, at the mouth of the Amazonwhich is still under analysis by IBAMA, inform Value, The globe, Metropolises It is CNN.

But Prates does not stop there in its quest for Brazil to explore fossil fuels “to the last drop”. By saying that Brazilian proven oil reserves guarantee the current production volume “only” for 13 years – last year, the country reached the highest volume of proven reserves since 2015, showed the ANP –, the president of Petrobras still issues an “ultimatum”, they highlight Estadão, This is Money, Power 360 It is Exam: “Either we go to the equatorial margin or we start importing fuels from other countries again.”

“The license that is under discussion on the equatorial margin [especificamente a do FZA-M-59, na foz do Amazonas] is drilling exploration, therefore it does not concern the production stage. After two years, we will find out about the commercial potential, then we will build the platform. It takes at least six to eight years to start production on the equatorial margin [leia-se foz do Amazonas]”, he said Prates.

As usual, the president of the oil company also said that the Brazil is “lagging behind in exploring the equatorial margin”, compared to other countries, such as Guyana. And he went on to state that current scenarios indicate the permanence of Hydrocarbons in the economy for another 40 to 50 years.

The “icing on the cake”, however, is the same as Prates and also the minister of Mines and EnergyAlexandre Silveira, have repeated whenever they can: that exploring fossil fuels at the mouth of the Amazon is necessary to “finance the energy transition”, according to the Estadão. In addition to being fallacious, just remember that the Brazilian State today subsidizes fossil fuels. Simply transfer these resources to the frenewable energy sources and the transition will move forward without needing another drop of oil.

In view of this, it is clear that Prates’ game of fossil errors ignores previous projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that the demand for fossil fuels will reach its peak by 2030 – when, according to its own calculations, the Petrobras would start production at the mouth of the Amazon, if you find reserves there – and then fall. Proof of this is the advancement of electric vehicles observed by IEA.

Furthermore, Brazil is currently a net exporter of oil. In other words, our current production easily covers current consumption. If we consider that, in addition to electric cars, Brazilian automakers are investing in producing flex hybrid and pure electric vehicles, the downward trend in oil consumption is confirmed. Not to mention the electrification projects for urban buses, which also lower demand.

The appeal of Prates along the bank/mouth of the Amazon also ignores that the Petrobras and other oil companies are still exploring the oil basins Santos It is Fields, which house the pre-salt. There are several activities in these regions that should add more reserves. Not to mention the technological advances in the oil chain itself that have been increasing the recovery factor of oil fields – that is, the amount of fossil fuels extracted from these areas.

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