Chevron snaps oil wells at the mouth of Amazonas while Brazil stores the exploration of the equatorial margin

The US multinational Chevron, in partnership with Chinese state-owned CNPC, finished nine blocks of oil exploration in the Foz do Amazonas basin during the auction of the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) auction, held on June 17, 2025.

With an investment of R $ 350 million, the company has become one of the main winners of the agency’s 5th cycle, but now faces a series of legal and environmental obstacles that endanger the advancement of the project.

The event raised R $ 989.2 million in signature bonuses, of which 85% came exclusively from the blocks located on the Brazilian equatorial margin. Among the 34 bid blocks, 19 belong to the mouth of the Amazon.

The region concentrated most of the moves and attracted two major coalitions: one formed by Petrobras and Exxonmobil, who had 10 blocks, and another led by Chevron with CNPC, responsible for the remaining nine blocks.

Dispute concentrates interest in a strategic area

The bet on the mouth of Amazonas was motivated by geological analyzes that indicate similarities between this basin and the neighboring Guyana-Suriname, where significant discoveries of oil were made in recent years.

Chevron’s strategy reflects the movement of large companies in the sector to ensure early presence in areas with high return potential, even in regions with high environmental and regulatory complexity.

The partnership with Chinese state -owned CNPC aims to share the risks and costs involved in the exploration of ultra -deep water, as well as diversifying bets on regulatory volatility in the global energy sector.

MPF action disputes auction legality

Five days before the auction, the Federal Public Prosecution Service (MPF) of Pará filed a public civil action requesting the suspension of the offer of the Foz do Amazonas blocks. The main argument of the MPF is that the bidding was performed without the environmental evaluation of sedimentary area (AAAS), required for analysis of cumulative and synergistic impacts throughout the basin.

In addition, the MPF maintains that there was no prior consultation with possibly affected indigenous and traditional communities, in disagreement with rules provided for in national legislation and international treaties of which Brazil is a signatory. The lawsuit continues in process and may, if accepted, annul part or all the results of the auction involving the region.

Environmental pressure and reaction of civil organizations

Several civil society organizations also contest the offer of blocks on the equatorial margin. Groups such as Greenpeace and WWF classified the auction as the “Last Judgment Auction” and warned of the risks associated with exploration in a region near the large Amazonian reef system, an ecosystem still little studied, but considered of high environmental relevance.

The concern is preceded by the decision of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), which in 2023 denied drilling license for Petrobras in a block near Chevron. At the time, the agency pointed out failures in the environmental impact study and a high risk of irreversible damage to the marine environment.

Regulatory steps still pending

Even with the acquisition formalized in the auction, companies are not immediate authorization to start drilling activities. The next phase involves obtaining environmental licenses with Ibama, a process that may extend for years and is subject to detailed technical evaluations and public consultations. Petrobras’ history in the same region indicates that the approval of licenses is not guaranteed and can be denied by environmental criteria.

If licensing is denied, the blocks remain under companies control, but are inactive. As a result, initial investments in signature bonuses can be converted into financial losses, depending on contractual clauses.

Implications for energy and environmental policy

The advance of exploitation in the equatorial margin occurs at a time of great international attention to Brazilian environmental policy. The country will be headquartered by the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), scheduled to take place in Belém, capital of Pará, near the bid.

The coexistence between the energy transition agenda and the encouragement of the opening of new oil exploration boundaries generates internal government tensions and external pressures of international organizations. The case of Foz do Amazonas has become symbolic of this impasse, in debate the country’s strategy in the face of the global transition to energy sources of lower environmental impact.

Next developments

The continuity of exploration projects now depends on three parallel fronts: the outcome of the lawsuit proposed by the MPF, the technical and regulatory analysis of environmental licensing requests and the position of the federal government about the future of the equatorial margin as an area of ​​strategic interest.

Meanwhile, auction -winning companies await signs of environmental and legal agencies to define the next steps. The result of decisions in courts and regulatory agencies may redefine not only the pace of exploitation in the region, but also international perception of Brazil’s commitment to climate goals and sustainable practices.