Rio de Janeiro, 20 October 2025 — Petrobras has received environmental authorization from Brazil’s regulator IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis) to carry out exploratory drilling in Block FZA-M-059, located in the Foz do Amazonas region of Brazil’s Equatorial Margin, near the mouth of the Amazon River.

The approval allows Petrobras to begin drilling an exploratory well aimed at gathering geological information and assessing the hydrocarbon potential of the area. At this stage, the campaign remains focused on research and data acquisition, with no immediate plans for production activities, according to Petrobras and IBAMA.

Drilling operations are expected to start soon and last approximately five months, as part of the company’s broader strategy to expand offshore exploration in northern Brazil. The authorization follows Petrobras’ completion of a Pre-Operational Assessment (APO) in August 2025 — a required step in Brazil’s environmental licensing process — and was granted after regulators reviewed emergency response and safety preparedness.

The decision ends several months of delay that left Petrobras’ contracted drillship idle while awaiting the environmental permit. According to local industry reports, the wait is estimated to have cost around US $34 million in standby day-rate expenses, reflecting the high operational costs of maintaining offshore readiness. The new authorization now enables Petrobras to move forward and resume its northern offshore exploration campaign.

While the project marks a milestone for Brazil’s offshore energy ambitions, it continues to draw scrutiny from environmental organizations concerned about potential impacts in the Amazon delta. Petrobras emphasized that all activities will be conducted “in strict compliance with environmental and operational safety standards.”