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Agency plans sessions on October 7, with exploratory blocks, marginal areas, and pre-salt assets in two contracting models
The National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, the ANP, has scheduled the auctions of the Permanent Offer of Concession and the Permanent Offer of Production Sharing for October 7, 2026.
Thus, the calendar gains strategic importance in the oil and gas sector. After all, besides the offering of areas, predictability helps companies organize studies, documents, and investment decisions.
According to the ANP, the schedules for the 6th Cycle of the Permanent Offer of Concession and the 4th Cycle of the Permanent Offer of Sharing were published on May 22, 2026, in the Official Gazette of the Union.
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Moreover, companies not yet registered could request participation until June 5, 2026.
Calendar becomes a signal for the market
According to Andréa Navarro, a specialist in business law at Ruzene Law Firm, the scheduling of the auctions helps restore predictability to the sector’s agenda.
For her, in the permanent offer model, the schedule also functions as a regulatory signal. Therefore, it organizes expectations, due diligence, and capital disposition.
In this context, the date does not represent just a formal step. On the contrary, it indicates stability for companies interested in evaluating exploration areas.
Concession and sharing follow different logics
Moreover, the two regimes present different economic models.
In the concession, according to the ANP, five areas with marginal accumulations and 495 exploratory blocks may be offered. Currently, there are 36 companies registered in this model.
In the sharing, the notice includes 23 available blocks, linked to the pre-salt, with 15 bidders eligible to submit statements of interest.
Therefore, as Andréa Navarro evaluates, the auction not only measures exploratory appetite. It also tests companies’ confidence in the stability of the rules.
Next steps in the process
Still according to the ANP’s schedule, companies interested in the cycles had until July 21, 2026 to submit a statement of interest, accompanied by a bid guarantee.
Subsequently, the concession sectors and the sharing blocks scheduled for the public session will be known on August 6, 2026.
Finally, the signing of the contracts is expected to occur by February 2027.
Predictability Depends on Clear Rules
For Andréa Navarro, regulatory predictability does not depend solely on the existence of supply. It also requires stability in the schedule, clarity about the areas brought to the session, and confidence in the maintenance of the rules.
Thus, the calendar ceases to be just an administrative agenda. It starts to directly influence decision-making in the oil and gas sector.
In summary, as the expert summarizes, it is this stability that transforms a calendar into investment and bidding into effective public policy.
Sources consulted by name: National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels; Official Gazette of the Union; Ruzene Law Firm.
