The National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) decided today (12) to create a working group to monitor the situation at the Bahia Terra Hub and articulate the actions necessary for the gradual and complete resumption of its oil and gas production. The board also analyzed and decided not to comply with the request made by Petrobras, to reconsider the agency’s decision to interdict, for security reasons, the facilities that make up the Polo, which is located in Bahia. 
In the note, the ANP says that it understands that it cannot shirk its duty to stop situations of serious and imminent risk, but, at the same time, it will spare no efforts to ensure that production resumes as quickly as possible.
In the face-to-face inspection carried out by agency technicians between December 5th and 9th of last year, a lack of fire and gas sensors was found; the unavailability of fixed fire fighting systems; the undersizing of emergency vents and the lack of provision for interlocking actions in case of confirmed gas. It was also verified the company’s failure to assess and, consequently, not manage, the specific risks of the facilities and their operations in the Pole, as there are no studies of the consequences of possible fires and explosions, which is mandatory by the safety philosophy itself. from the operator.
On December 15, the ANP authorized the extension, requested by Petrobras, of the deadline for the conclusion of the stoppage of the wells and production facilities in the interdicted fields, based on the Safe Stoppage Plan presented by the company, aiming to make the resumption of production after the situation of serious and imminent risk to human life and the environment that led to the interdiction ceased. Thus, the deadline for the gradual suspension of activities, which was initially 72 hours (until the end of December 15th), was extended until today (12th).
Work group
Due to the impacts caused to the population by the suspension of production at the Polo, the ANP decided to create a working group that should decide with Petrobras on the definition of the strategy for the return of production at the Polo Bahia Terra, with the correction of the critical deviations that cause risks serious and imminent, in the shortest possible time. The group will also prepare the return to operation schedule, with prioritized actions, based on production capacity, guarantee of supply, the shortest time to clean up the conditions established in the interdiction and other applicable criteria.
