Lula Hails Major Oil Discovery Off Amazon Coast Despite Green Backlash

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 19 (Bernama-dpa) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has hailed oil discoveries at the mouth of the Amazon as a “passport for the country's future,” in a video broadcast on the G1 news website on Tuesday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Lula made the remarks during a visit to a drilling vessel operated by Petrobras, the semi-state Brazilian oil company.

Petrobras announced the discovery of hydrocarbons at a depth of nearly 2,900 metres, around 175 kilometres off the coast of the state of Amapá.

The full extent of the reserves cannot be determined precisely at this stage, Petrobras chief executive Magda Chambriard said.

The company would continue exploring to find out what Amapá could offer, she was quoted as saying by G1.

Lula, who is currently seeking a fourth term as president, described the quality of the find as “noble oil.”

Addressing international criticism of fossil fuel extraction at the mouth of the Amazon, he said: “This is about national sovereignty. A country that has oil of this quality will not allow anyone to interfere in that.”

Environmentalists fear that oil extraction could threaten biodiversity in the waters and have a negative impact on climate change. 

Greenpeace Brasil said last year, ahead of the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, that the rights of Indigenous peoples living in the region would also be disregarded.

Brazil currently ranks eighth among the world's largest oil producers.

-- BERNAMA-dpa