Lula says there is “uproar” about oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin

The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said that there is an “uproar in Brazil” regarding oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin, in the Amazon River basin. Lula defended Petrobras’ research in the region and stated that “it is not possible for anyone to give up fossil fuel overnight” and that “it is necessary to put an end to the use of fossil fuel”.

“There is an uproar in Brazil about oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin. Ibama was given a license for Petrobras to start carrying out research. I have said that it is not possible for anyone to give up fossil fuel overnight”, declared the president, in a meeting with Mercedes-Benz representatives at Palácio do Planalto on the morning of this Thursday, 30th.

And he added: “It is necessary to put an end to the use of fossil fuels. That is why we need to research the Equatorial Margin with care for the environment, with the responsibility that Brazil has to show that it is the most perfect country from the point of view of the energy transition in the world.”

The meeting was closed to the press, but the Presidency’s Social Communication Secretariat released a recording of the meeting. The vice-president of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin, and the ministers of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, and Labor, Luiz Marinho, also participated.

Lula questioned Silveira about biofuels policy right after talking about the Equatorial Margin. The minister said that “biofuel is for Brazil what oil is for Saudi Arabia”. According to him, “the balance between public policies on oil and biofuel is what makes Brazil reach the COP in a proud manner, showing that Brazil is a major protagonist in the decarbonization of the planet”.

Regarding the Equatorial Margin, Silveira said that “oil is not a question of supply, it is a question of demand”.

“As long as the world demands oil, Brazil cannot give up its wealth, this important mineral, so that we can continue to fight poverty and hunger, delivering the country with the legacy that you (Lula) have delivered”, declared the minister.

‘More than an oil company’

Lula said that Petrobras “is more than an oil company” and “will transform, over time, into an energy company”.

“After we approve (the law on) the fuel of the future, our entire energy matrix will change. We will continue using oil as long as necessary. But it is important: Petrobras is so important for Brazil that it is more than an oil company. It will transform, over time, into an energy company. And then success will be total and absolute”, declared the president.