The ANP released on Thursday (30/11), on the website www.brasil-rounds.gov.br, the areas for exploration and production of oil and natural gas available on a permanent basis. There are 846 blocks of 13 sedimentary basins, totaling approximately 285,400 km2, and 15 areas with marginal accumulations in three basins.

The selected areas include blocks in the mature basins of Recôncavo, Potiguar Terra, Sergipe-Alagoas Terra and Espírito Santo Terra; in the terrestrial basins of the new border of Acre, Amazonas, Paraná, Parnaíba, São Francisco and Tucano; and in the sea basins of Pará-Maranhão, Sergipe-Alagoas, Campos and Santos. The areas with marginal accumulations are in the terrestrial basins of Espírito Santo, Potiguar and Recôncavo.

The areas selected by the ANP still depend on evaluation of the competent environmental agencies.

The process of permanent supply

The process, provided for in article 4 of CNPE Resolution 17/2017, provides for the continuous supply of fields returned (or in the process of being returned), of exploratory blocks offered in previous and uncolored rounds and also of the blocks returned to the Agency.

By the end of April 2018, the ANP will disclose the rules for participation and the technical and economic parameters of the areas in permanent supply, when the bidding process will be started on an ongoing basis. Bid submission sessions should take place from November 2018.

In order to hold the bidding session, the ANP must have received at least one demonstration with the offer guarantee offered for each area of interest.

The opening of the permanent supply process represents another important step in resumption of exploration and production of oil and natural gas in Brazil. In bringing opportunities to companies of different profiles and sizes, the initiative is part of the set of measures being adopted to develop a diversified, dynamic and competitive sector in the different exploratory environments in Brazil: pre-salt, conventional sea and land .

The expected results are increased investments and oil production, with impacts on the collection and generation of employment and income, especially in the selected regions.