Total withdrawing as operator of Foz do Amazonas basin blocks
Offshore staff
PARIS – Total plans to step down as operator of five offshore blocks in Brazil’s Foz do Amazonas basin.
FZA-M-57, FZA-M-86, FZA-M-88, FZA-M-125 and FZA-M-127 are 120 km (75 mi) from the shore.
Total has informed Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) of its decision. A six-month period now falls during which a new operator will be appointed.
Until the changeover occurs, the company will continue to monitor all regulatory processes on behalf of its partners Petrobras and BP.
Total’s plans to start exploratory drilling were thwarted in 2018 following protest action by Greenpeace, which claimed that the environmental impact study could not safeguard a nearby coral reef system.
This led to environmental regulator Ibama turning down the request to drill.
According to a report by Reuters, some geologists believed the area could contain up to 14 Bbbl of oil.
09/08/2020
