The president of Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Aloizio Mercadante, stated in an interview with Band's Canal Livre on Sunday that "the potential [of the Equatorial Margin] is very similar to the Pre-salt" based on mapping studies of Brazil's continental platform. The declaration marks the latest official comparison between the two oil regions. ✓
Press quotes (1)
""Nós pesquisamos toda a plataforma continental, estamos fazendo o mapeamento de toda a plataforma continental e ali você via que o potencial é muito semelhante ao Pré-sal", declarou."
Mercadante noted that "you can only prove a reserve when the drill hits oil," but emphasized that "the geological study, the morphology of the region, is extremely favorable and Petrobras has much accumulation in this geological study." The executive cited the Marine Spatial Planning (PEM) program financed by BNDES in partnership with the Navy as the basis for the comparison. ✓
Press quotes (1)
""Você só pode comprovar uma reserva quando a broca bate no óleo", ponderou, completando que "o estudo geológico, a morfologia da região, é extremamente favorável e a Petrobras tem muito acúmulo nesse estudo geológico"."
The pre-salt, commercially discovered in 2006 in the Tupi field with production starting in 2008, accounted for 79.6% of all Brazilian oil and gas production in 2025, according to ANP data. Brazil reached record production of 3.770 million barrels per day last year, representing a 12.3% increase over 2024. The Búzios field reached the milestone of 1 million barrels per day in October 2025. ✓
Press quotes (3)
"In 2025, pre-salt fields accounted for roughly 79.6% of all Brazilian oil and gas production, extracted through approximately 175 wells in December."
"Brazil produced an average of 3.770 million barrels of oil per day throughout 2025. That is the highest annual average in the country's history, and it represents a 12.3% jump over 2024, when production stood at 3.358 million barrels per day."
"This unit's performance was decisive in October 2025: by producing 270,000 barrels/day, it helped the field break its daily production record, reaching the milestone of 1 million barrels of oil per day."
The BNDES president argued that "political resistance may exist, but I think this debate has been overcome" after the government authorized research. Mercadante compared the current debate to discussions that preceded pre-salt exploration, when there were fears about environmental impacts on Rio de Janeiro tourism that, according to him, did not materialize. ✓
Press quotes (1)
""Resistência política pode até haver, mas acho que esse debate foi superado", afirmou."
Mercadante based the comparison on continental platform mapping studies financed by BNDES in partnership with the Navy
Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.
Covered by only some sources (2)
BNDES uses the research vessel Vital de Oliveira, described as the 'main research vessel of the Global South' and the 'third most technologically advanced vessel for marine research' in the world
Mercadante cited natural gas discoveries in Sergipe, Rio Grande do Norte and production in neighboring countries like Guyana and Colombia as evidence of Equatorial Margin potential
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What are the specific technical metrics (estimated reserves, extraction costs, oil quality) that support the comparison between Equatorial Margin and pre-salt?
Why it's still unknown: Mercadante based the comparison on morphological studies and mapping, but did not provide specific quantitative data on reserves or economic viability.
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What is the timeline and expected investment for exploratory drilling in the Equatorial Margin?
Why it's still unknown: Mercadante stated that 'there is still no forecast for the start of operations' and that 'each hole costs several million dollars', but did not detail timelines or budgets.
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What are the geological and operational differences between Equatorial Margin and pre-salt that may affect the viability of the comparison?
Why it's still unknown: The comparison was made in terms of potential, but the technical specificities that may differentiate the two regions were not addressed.