ANP Launches Studies For New Auction Of Pre-Salt Oil Blocks While Preparing The Permanent Offer Of Profit Sharing

Aiming to Attract Even More Investments to the Oil and Gas Sector in Brazil During the Next Few Years, ANP Accelerates the Permanent Offer Cycle of Sharing and is Now Studying the Inclusion of New Pre-Salt Oil Blocks in a Possible Future Auction.

The National Agency of Petroleum (ANP) is conducting new studies for the inclusion of some pre-salt oil blocks in a possible new auction, located in the Santos Basin and Campos Basin. In addition, the agency has also included new blocks of fuel this week in the Permanent Offer cycle of Sharing, to expand investments in the sector.

New Auction of Pre-Salt Oil Blocks May Be Held by ANP, Which is Now Seeking the Geological Studies Necessary for the Continuation of the Process

Although the Permanent Offer of Sharing is still the most utilized concession regime for oil blocks in the pre-salt region by the Federal Government, ANP is studying the possibility of holding a new auction with such blocks.

The agency still believes that a traditional concession round could attract substantial investments to the oil and natural gas sector in Brazil and is now refocusing its efforts on this.

Thus, ANP started this past week geological and economic studies about the indication of four pre-salt blocks for future inclusion in a bidding round for conducting an auction with the largest players in the oil and natural gas market.

Among the blocks undergoing studies, one is located in the Santos Basin, and the other three are located in the Campos Basin, all within the pre-salt polygon.

Now, ANP’s next step will be to finalize the economic and geological feasibility studies for submission to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME). Thus, the ministry should then propose to the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) the final definition of the pre-salt oil blocks that will be under direct concession regimes in the auction or will enter the Permanent Offer of Sharing.

Additionally, it will be up to CNPE, after MME’s request, to define the offer system and parameters to be adopted for each of them.

Agency Included 218 Blocks from the Equatorial Margin in the Permanent Offer Regime of Sharing, Seeking New Investments in the National Oil and Gas Sector

During the past week, ANP had already undertaken another initiative to expand investments in the national oil and gas sector, announcing the inclusion of 218 blocks from the Equatorial Margin in the Permanent Offer system, under the concession regime.

The blocks included in the regime are all located in the regions of the basins of Foz do Amazonas, Pará-Maranhão, Barreirinhas, Ceará, and Potiguar, in a deep and ultra-deep marine environment.

“ANP identified improvement opportunities concerning the provisions in the resolution regarding the definition of the ‘Total Value of the Complete System,’ for foreign systems without a commercial transaction fiscal document. The goal is to ensure the application of the local content deduction calculation method in foreign supplies that contain incorporated national components, as provided in the Local Content Handbook in Annex II of the Resolution,” commented ANP regarding its decision.

As it carries out this inclusion and the studies for the new traditional auction of the pre-salt, ANP is preparing for the first cycle of the Permanent Offer of Sharing, with pre-salt blocks. Companies BP Energy; Chevron; CNODC; CNOOC; Petrobrás; Petronas; Shell, and TotalEnergies have registered for the process so far.