Brazil's Haddad backs research on oil reserves near mouth of the Amazon
SAO PAULO, May 18 (Reuters) - Research in Brazil for possible oil reserves near the mouth of the Amazon river has to go ahead but any discoveries should not delay the country's transition to cleaner energy, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has said.
In the quest for new oil discoveries, the mouth of the Amazon is considered the area with the greatest potential in Brazil's Equatorial Margin - a vast region stretching between the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Amapa.
"I am in favor of research, I think we have to do it, we have to check what is there. However, the oil that may be there cannot be an excuse for us to delay our (energy) transition," Haddad said in a television interview with local media outlet GloboNews on Saturday.
Due to the site's location in the Amazon basin, potential drilling for oil is highly controversial.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - known as Lula - defends the exploration efforts. However, other elements in the government are concerned that opening new hydrocarbon projects in environmentally sensitive regions flies in the face of a global quest for cleaner energy options.
Haddad called for reducing Brazil's dependence on oil, arguing this would be possible with greater investment in other energy sources.
"Brazil has been leading this process for decades," he said.
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