Environmental Guidelines

Published in Oct 18, 2021 12:41 PM Updated in Jul 10, 2026 04:17 PM

CNPE Resolution No.17/2017, amended by CNPE Resolution No 27/2021, stipulates that planning for the granting of concessions of areas must take into account the conclusions of multidisciplinary environmental assessment studies of sedimentary basins - with a regional scope - which will inform the strategic planning of public policies. The goal is to provide greater certainty and predictability to the environmental licensing process for oil projects, in accordance with international best practices.

Interministerial Ordinance No. 198, dated April 5, 2012, established the Sedimentary Area Environmental Assessment (AAAS) and defined its relationship to the process of awarding oil and natural gas exploration blocks located in marine and terrestrial sedimentary basins, as well as to the environmental licensing process for the respective projects and activities. AAAS is an assessment process based on a multidisciplinary study (Sedimentary Area Environmental Study - EAAS) with regional scope, used by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), to inform the strategic planning of public policies.

Alternatively, for areas where studies have not yet been completed, assessments regarding potential environmental restrictions will be supported by a joint statement by MME and MMA. The procedures, criteria and deadlines for joint statements were established by Interministerial Decree MME/MMA No. 01/2022.

Since this is a preliminary environmental report within the scope of planning, both Interministerial Ordinances No. 198 and No. 01/2022 establish that joint statements will be valid for 5 (five) years. For the elaboration relating to offshore sedimentary basins, a report issued by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBIO) is required.

For onshore sedimentary basins, reports issued by the State Environmental Agencies (OEMAs) are applicable. In addition, environmental reports prepared by the Interministerial Working Group on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities (GTPEG), a multidisciplinary technical group reestablished by the Ordinance GM/MMA No. 806/2023, composed of representatives from MMA and its affiliated entities, whose objective is to provide technical support to MMA in its dialogue with MME during the environmental analysis prior to the granting of blocks or areas for oil and natural gas exploration and production, are also considered.

Regardless of the environmental report required for ANP to hold a bidding process, environmental licensing for any exploration and production activity may only be carried out after the operators have obtained the necessary environmental permits from the competent authorities.

Environmental impact studies are fundamental, but they will only occur during the licensing phase, just like the structuring of environmental programs to mitigate impacts and risks only occur during this same phase.

Also at this stage, activities deemed incompatible with the conservation objectives of the areas, or whose impacts cannot be adequately mitigated or compensated, will not be authorized.

To date, no block or area in the Open Acreage of Concession has been defined based on an AAAS, which means that assessments of potential environmental restrictions on the offering of areas designated by the CNPE are still being conducted through Joint Statements issued by MME and MMA.

Additionally, on June 27, 2024, through Board Resolution No. 436/2024, the Joint Technical Note No. 08/2024/ANP, which addresses the new socio-environmental criteria to be adopted for the inclusion of blocks in the Open Acreage of Concession (OPC) cycles, was approved, and, on March 20, 2025, through Executive Board Decision No. 128/2025, the Joint Technical Note No. 24/2024/ANP, which establishes socio-environmental criteria for the inclusion of marginal accumulation areas in the OPC cycles, was approved.

According to these criteria, in addition to areas demarcated as indigenous lands, quilombola areas and conservation units must also be excluded, with a buffer zone - which must also be excluded - of 10 km in the Legal Amazon region, and 8 km in other regions, added to both.

Environmental guidelines for the blocks in the OPC tender protocol

Joint Statements

Note: Considering that joint statements, reports and other documents do not have an English version, please see the files (in Portuguese) on the corresponding Portuguese page: Diretrizes Ambientais OPC.

Offshore basins

Environmental licensing of maritime activities and in an E&P transition zone is carried out by Ibama, through CGMAC (General Coordination of Environmental Licensing of Marine and Coastal Enterprises).

Note: Considering that joint statements, reports and other documents do not have an English version, please click here to see the information about the Federal Environmental Licensing (in Portuguese).

Ibama, ICMBio, and MMA have carried out environmental analysis within the scope of the Open Acreage of Areas.

Ibama, ICMBio, and the MMA, as part of the Permanent Land Offer Program, conducted the environmental assessment.

Note: Considering that joint statements, reports and other documents do not have an English version, please click here to view the documents related to this environmental analysis (in Portuguese).

Onshore basins

State Environmental Entities (OEMAs) are responsible for the environmental licensing of land activities restricted to the boundaries of a single state.

Some OEMAs have prepared specific technical reports for the Open Acreage of Areas while others have validated the analysis performed on previous rounds.

Ibama, ICMBio and MMA also presented recommendations for carrying out activities located in onshore basins, as per the documents indicated above.

Environmental guidelines for areas with marginal accumulations as specified in the OPC tender protocol

Joint Statements

Guidelines