Brasilia, Oct. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - A consortium comprising the Norwegian company Equinor Brasil and the Portuguese company Galp Energia Brasil has on Wednesday secured an oil and gas exploration block in the Brazilian pre-salt layer.
The consortium offered the Brazilian Government a 15.52% share in the surplus crude oil produced by the Rodocrosita block, a percentage that secured its victory in the tender.
The Rodocrosita block, located in the Santos Basin, was one of seven areas awarded in the fourth cycle of the Permanent Production-Sharing Offer organised by the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
In total, 13 pre-salt blocks (an extensive area on the seabed where there are large reserves of oil and gas beneath a thick layer of salt) in the Campos and Santos basins were put up for auction, but six received no bids, according to the results of the auction held today by the Brazilian regulatory agency.
Under the production-sharing scheme, companies retain a share of the production to recoup exploration costs, whilst the surplus is divided between the state and the winning companies.
In total, the seven blocks awarded are expected to attract investments estimated at 778.4 million reais (around €139 million at the current exchange rate), whilst the signature bonuses totalled 530.5 million reais (approximately €94.7 million).
In addition to Equinor and Galp, the winning bids were submitted by Petrobras, the Brazilian company Prio Forte and a consortium formed by the Chinese firms CNOOC Petroleum and Sinopec.
There was no competition between the companies and consortia, which meant that each block received a bid from one of the oil companies.
In the Santos Basin, Petrobras secured the Cruzeiro do Sul block, Equinor won the Rubi block on its own, whilst CNOOC Petroleum and Sinopec secured the Jade block.
In the Campos Basin, Prio Forte secured the Magnetita and Hematita blocks, whilst Petrobras secured the Azurita block, according to the results released after the auction.
According to the ANP, the auction was the largest in terms of the number of pre-salt areas offered since the implementation, in 2022, of the regulatory agency's current bidding model, with five blocks in the Campos Basin and eight in the Santos Basin.
Nineteen companies were eligible to take part in the auction, including the Portuguese firms Galp and Petrogal, as well as Petrobras, Equinor, Shell, Chevron, Exxon, TotalEnergies, BP and QatarEnergy. Eligibility did not oblige companies to submit bids.
Later today, the ANP is holding a second auction, this time relating to the 6th Cycle of the Permanent Concession Offer, in which 46 qualified companies will compete for 22 sectors of exploration blocks and two sectors of areas with marginal accumulations.
MYMA/AYLS // AYLS
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