Brazil's state oil company has won a license to conduct exploratory oil drilling offshore the Amazon, despite environmental concerns about the project.
The permit will allow Petrobras to drill the block located at Amapá, 500 km (311 miles) from the mouth of the Amazon River on the equatorial edge of Brazil.
The company said it has demonstrated to the government that it has strong environmental structures in place.
But many conservationists have expressed concerns about the plans, including fears that any oil spills could occur in close proximity, via ocean currents, to the Amazon, home to about 10% of the world's known species.
Groups such as Greenpeace have also expressed concern that it could undermine Brazil's climate leadership ahead of the COP30 climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem in November.
The International Energy Agency has also made clear that no new oil projects should be approved if the net-zero global emissions target is to be achieved by 2050.
Petrobras said in a statement that drilling is planned to begin “immediately” and will last five months. The company is seeking to assess whether oil and gas exist in the area at an economically feasible scale.
It will not produce oil commercially at this stage.
Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva has spoken out against oil exploration in the Amazon region.
But the South American country's President Lula da Silva supported it on economic grounds and recently defended his position.
Lula told the BBC in September: “Brazil is a country that has oil. And we may have oil on the equatorial margin and we are exploring. We strictly adhere to the law.”
He said that if there was a problem or an oil spill, “we will be the ones who will be responsible for solving the problem if it arises.”
He added: “I'm all for the world one day no longer needing fossil fuels, but that moment hasn't arrived yet.
“I want to know [of] any country on the planet that is ready for the energy transition and can move away from fossil fuels.”
Other international oil companies, including Exxonmobil and Chevron, have bought blocks in the Amazon region and are awaiting exploration licenses.
Petrobras said it is committed to ensuring the country's “energy security and the resources needed for a just energy transition.”
It added that the company was able to “demonstrate the reliability of the entire environmental framework that will be available during drilling.”
