In 2023, Brazil recorded its highest oil reserves since 2015, achieving 15.9 billion barrels. This 7% increase over last year is significant.
It marks the country’s largest reserve since the 16.2 billion barrels in 2014. These gains are largely due to new discoveries in the pre-salt layers.
Environmentalists argue these existing reserves are ample for national needs until global demand falls.
However, oil companies insist that new explorations are crucial to avoid future imports. The proven reserves added this year were nearly double Brazil’s annual oil production.
For each barrel extracted, about 1.8 barrels were discovered. This replacement rate even exceeds the 2022 ratio.
The Tupi and Búzios fields in the Santos Basin greatly contributed to the reserves. Additionally, the Raia Manta field, operated by Equinor, boosted the total reserves in 2023.
The debate over future explorations is complex. Juliano Araújo from the Arayara Institute noted that recent auction areas could deter high-risk ventures into sensitive regions like the equatorial margin or deep Amazon.
He criticizes the fossil fuel industry’s rush to secure reserves that future shifts in energy demands may render unexploitable.
ANP data shows many exploratory contracts still await significant discoveries in various basins, suggesting potential finds without new territorial incursions.
Geologist Pedro Zalán believes further discoveries could occur in already known basins.
The drive to explore the equatorial margin gained traction after Petrobras discovered a new oil accumulation off Rio Grande do Norte, akin to major finds in Guyana and Suriname.
Brazil Expands Oil Reserves to Highest Level Since 2015
Brazil’s Energy Minister, Alexandre Silveira, stated recently the country will keep producing oil and gas until it matches industrialized nations’ development levels.
In an interview with Folha de São Paulo, he emphasized that this approach is necessary despite the global trend towards renewable energy.
Silveira highlighted that oil and gas would remain pivotal until Brazil reaches the Human Development Index (HDI) of more developed nations.
Brazil’s progress on the Human Development Index (HDI) from 0.754 to 0.760 signals improvement, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports.
Latin America’s average HDI is just above Brazil’s, at 0.763. Globally, Switzerland tops the list with 0.967, with the World average at 0.793.