Petrobras moves closer to environmental license to drill in Foz do Amazonas basin

The upcoming simulation aims to verify the effectiveness of Petrobras' proposed emergency plan, Ibama said in a statement.

The aimed area, in the northernmost part of Brazil's Equatorial Margin, is considered Petrobras' most promising oil frontier, sharing geology with nearby Guyana, where Exxon Mobil is developing huge fields.

"We are pleased to advance to this final stage and to be able to prove that we are able to operate safely on the coast of Amapa," Petrobras Chief Executive Magda Chambriard said in a statement.