SP maps for pre-salt investments
Valor Econômico
The Government of São Paulo is preparing environmental studies on the coast of the State in order to facilitate the installation of companies related to the oil industry in the coming years. The area of interest is located within a 15 kilometer radius from the Santos Air Base, in the municipality of Guarujá, where Petrobras studies implementing its maritime support base for the exploration of pre-salt layer in the Basin of Santos.
As it maps the areas inclined for each type of undertaking, and prepares a prior environmental study, the Government expects a reduction by nearly 50% in the time required for the preparation of the EIA-Rima (Environmental Impact Assessment / Environmental Impact Report) by the entrepreneur and for the permit to be granted by the environmental agency, in the case, the São Paulo State Environmental Company (Cetesb). The work, which should be over in February, is being carried out jointly by the State Departments for the Environment, Planning, and Development and the municipal administrations.
The work is identifying the impacts the areas should suffer because of the investments of the companies. The compensatory measures and those of impact mitigation will also be indicated in the studies. According to José Roberto dos Santos, Oil and Natural Gas Special Commission of the State of São Paulo (Cespeg), the intention is to centralize the compensations in the State Park of Serra do Mar, instead of spreading them according to the decisions of the companies. The governmental study will also include a range of socio-environmental information of the areas, as a means of subsidizing the specific studies of the companies. The fact that the Cetesb is currently involved in the study will also facilitate its work at the time of issuing the licensing, since the body will have prior knowledge of the material.
According to Santos, the State is focused on uninhabited areas that represent low environmental impact because they are located inside the urban perimeter in spite of not being urbanized yet. According to calculations of the government, there is a demand for the expansion on the industrial activity for a total area of 3 million square meters until 2020. The industrial facilities of support for the oil activity should be concentrated in the south part of the coast, between Paruíbe and São Vicente. The criterion of selection is areas near accesses of improved four-lane roads, such as Padre Manoel da Nóbrega (SP-55) and Cônego Domênico Rangoni, known as Piaçaguera-Guarujá
The shipbuilding industry, on its turn, should be developed in the estuary of Santos, surrounded by the municipalities of São Vicente, Cubatão, Santos and Guarujá. For the construction of the shipyards, at least five areas with an extension between 100 thousand square meters and 1 million square meters are being studied. The government does not want to announce what those areas are yet, in order to avoid real estate speculation. One of the main concerns of the State and of the municipal administrations, besides assuring an organized planning of the occupation of the coast, regards the deadlines of Petrobras. The beginning of the exploration of the pre-salt layer is scheduled for 2012, and the time of delivery of the ships to the oil company is 30 months.