Brazil strives to balance renewables and fossil fuels | Environment

On Saturday (11), the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) announced Brazil’s renewed efforts to join the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), based in Abu Dhabi. Comprising 169 countries and the European Union, IRENA promotes international cooperation for the sustainable adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower.

Conversely, in November 2023, Brazil received an invitation to join OPEC+ as an ally, without being subject to production quota agreements.

The interplay between fossil fuels and renewables has become a focal point as Brazil prepares to host the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Pará, in November. The debate has been intensified by Petrobras’s pending environmental license to explore oil in the Foz do Amazonas basin, 175 kilometers off the coast of Amapá, part of the Equatorial Margin.

The proposed oil exploration faces opposition within the government, particularly from Environment Minister Marina Silva and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA). Both have emphasized a technical approach to the issue. In November, Petrobras filed another appeal following IBAMA’s rejection of its license application.

At IRENA’s annual assembly in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira dismissed suggestions of contradiction in Brazil’s pursuit of both international cooperations. “We must invest in plurality and reconcile different energy sources,” Mr. Silveira told Valor.

During his visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Mr. Silveira held meetings with leaders from the hydrocarbons sector, including Saudi Aramco, and IRENA officials. He also met with representatives of Mubadala, a UAE-based investment company operating in Brazil through ventures like Acelen, which owns the Mataripe Refinery in Bahia.

“Aramco has a model we can help implement globally to decarbonize oil production,” Mr. Silveira said, adding, “Oil must be viewed from production to consumption. Brazil, as a leader of the Global South, is making investments to accelerate the shift toward decarbonization. There is a clear lack of action from developed and industrialized nations.”

Brazil’s potential OPEC+ membership is under review by the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE), while the IRENA membership process, which Mr. Silveira hopes to conclude before COP30, has entered a bureaucratic documentation phase. IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera is expected to visit Brazil in February, though the agency has not specified a timeline for Brazil’s full membership.

“Our potential OPEC+ membership is an opportunity to access diverse perspectives on decarbonization,” Mr. Silveira said. “Without economic development, there is no solution to pressing social demands. And without sustainability, there is no pathway to enduring economic growth.”

On the contentious oil exploration in Foz do Amazonas, Mr. Silveira reiterated his optimism that the licensing process would progress this year. He dismissed concerns that approval would undermine COP30. “Brazil has the most stringent environmental regulations in the world. If legal requirements are met, I see no reason [to deny the license],” he said.