Can a farmer make a profit from oil found in Ceará? Understand
The conclusion of the ANP (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), released this Tuesday (19), regarding the oil found in Tabuleiro do Norte, generated new debates about the rights of the land owner, farmer Sidrônio Moreira.
According to Brazilian legislation, although the material was found during the drilling of artesian wells on private property, mineral resources and hydrocarbon deposits belong exclusively to the Union.
Exploration of these areas constitutes a monopoly, which means that only the State or companies authorized under concession or production sharing contracts can extract and sell the fuel. The farmer, therefore, does not own the material found at Sítio Santo Estevão.
However, if the commercial viability of the deposit is confirmed and exploration begins, the legislation guarantees that the property owner receives a share that varies between 0.5% and 1% of the value of production carried out at the site, in addition to compensation in case of need to use the area to install infrastructure.
Although the area attracted attention and unofficial purchase proposals after the discovery, the Moreira family reported that they have no interest in selling the place where they have lived for more than 20 years.
In November 2024, in an attempt to guarantee water for the animals due to the low pressure of the local pipeline, the farmer took out a loan of R$15,000 to drill wells on the land.
ANP report
The ANP concluded that the substance found by a family in Tabuleiro do Norte, in the interior of Ceará, last March, was a sample of crude oil.
The report was sent by the agency to the land owner this Wednesday (20). It was also forwarded to Sema-CE (Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change of the State of Ceará), which will be able to assess the need for measures and/or guidance to the owner on aspects related to environmental issues.
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With the results of the analysis, the ANP informed that it opened an administrative process to promote the technical assessment of the area and its geological context.
The objective is to analyze the possible inclusion of the exploration block in the OPC (Permanent Concession Offer), the main type of bidding for areas for oil and gas exploration and production in the country.
The regulatory agency highlighted, however, that there is no established deadline for completing this study and that there is no guarantee that inclusion will occur.
For the area to enter the OPC notice, the process needs to go through several stages that involve internal approvals, as well as assessments from other environmental bodies and ministries.
CNN Brasil also requested a position from the Government of the State of Ceará and is awaiting feedback. The space remains open.
Remember the discovery
The unusual find occurred at Sítio Santo Estevão, also known as Baixa do Juazeiro, a 49-hectare rural property managed by farmer Sidrônio Moreira.
In November 2024, in an attempt to guarantee water for the animals due to the low pressure of the local pipeline, the farmer took out a loan of R$15,000 to drill wells on the land.
After reaching more than 40 meters deep on the first attempt, the workers found a dark, viscous, flammable liquid with a strong odor in the place of the water table.
A second drilling was done about 50 meters away, but, at a depth of 23 meters, the same substance reappeared, leading to the definitive suspension of excavations.
Before the ANP's official report, samples collected from the well had already undergone preliminary analyzes at IFCE (Federal Institute of Ceará) and Ufersa (Federal Rural University of Semi-Árido).
Physicochemical tests indicated that the material was a mixture of hydrocarbons with properties similar to those of oil extracted on land in the Potiguar Basin.
In March 2026, technicians from ANP and Sema-CE visited the site, recommended the isolation of the area and collected samples, which now confirm the presence of crude oil.
Source: CNN