The Board of Directors of ANP approved today (June 12) the resolution that establishes the requirements and procedures for the fulfillment of the Minimum Exploratory Program (PEM) outside the limits of the original area under contract. The resolution applies to concession contracts in the exploration phase.

The PEM is the program that encompasses the minimum activities committed to by companies to be carried out during the first phase of oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) contracts (exploration phase), in which activities are conducted to identify the presence or absence of hydrocarbons. For the first exploratory period, these commitments are expressed in work units (UTs), with each type of activity (such as seismic surveys and well drilling) corresponding to a certain number of UTs. In the second period, the PEM corresponds to the drilling of an exploratory well. ANP has identified a progressive decline in the execution of these activities in recent years.

The knowledge generated from the activities carried out during the exploration phase is important, for example, to improve understanding of Brazilian sedimentary basins and to incorporate new oil and natural gas reserves. Therefore, ANP sought a measure that could help improve the performance of the exploration segment, granting greater flexibility in the execution of these activities related to E&P contracts.

In general terms, the resolution establishes that, if the operator of the concession contract is interested in fulfilling the PEM outside the original contract area, a request must be submitted to ANP indicating the original contract and the receiving area where the UTs are to be executed. The number of UTs to be executed in the receiving area will be at the discretion of the operator, provided that, if it is a contracted area, the operators of the original and receiving contracts are the same. Once the UTs or the committed activity are carried out in the receiving area, the PEM will be deducted from the original contract.

The new regulation also defines the requirements for fulfilling the PEM in areas not linked to any contract for oil and gas exploration and production, excluding, however, the Pre-Salt and strategic areas as eligible for the mechanism.

To reach the final version of the resolution, ANP carried out a series of actions to meet regulatory and public participation procedures, including regulatory impact analysis, internal consultations, workshops and meetings with the market, and public consultation and hearing.