Uruguay authorizes offshore seismic surveys amid environmental opposition and regulatory scrutiny

The Ministry of Environment of Uruguay granted prior environmental authorizations in late 2025 to four companies—Searcher Geodata, CGG Services, APA Exploration, and PGS—to conduct 3D seismic prospecting in offshore blocks 1 and 4, located between 150 and 300 kilometers off the coast and at depths ranging from 50 to 5,000 meters. The surveys, aimed at identifying potential hydrocarbon reservoirs and offering data for oil firms, overlap ecologically sensitive zones including the continental slope and merluza spawning grounds. Authorities implemented restrictions such as prohibiting sound source activation within 1,000 meters of cetaceans, pinnipeds, and sea turtles, mandating four marine fauna observers aboard vessels, and requiring noise monitoring aligned with predictive models. Compensation mechanisms will apply if notable reductions in fish catches occur, with ongoing assessment of seismic impacts on commercially relevant species’ eggs and larvae.

Despite these measures, multiple environmental organizations, including the Assembly for a Fossil-Free Sea and the Society for Biodiversity Conservation of Maldonado, condemned the decisions. They criticized the approvals for contradicting Uruguay’s energy transition policies and undermining its renewable energy achievements. These groups argue that the mitigation provisions are insufficient and challenging to enforce, citing a pending legal injunction on the matter. Additionally, the Red Coastal Union decried procedural shortcomings, asserting that public and expert input lacked substantive influence on the final authorizations, contravening the Escazú Agreement’s mandates for meaningful environmental participation.

In contrast, Minister Edgardo Ortuño emphasized the government’s commitment to biodiversity protection, reporting enhanced safeguards protecting marine mammals and turtles, as well as ecosystem monitoring protocols. The Ministry of Environment will oversee compliance throughout exploration activities.

The seismic authorization follows Uruguay’s National Environmental Law N°17.283 (2000) and complementary regulations stipulating environmental impact assessments for hydrocarbon extraction projects. Concurrently, political and civil society disputes persist over enforcement integrity and alleged irregularities in the permitting process, underscoring tensions between economic interests in fossil fuel exploration and environmental governance in Uruguay’s offshore sector.