The Minister of Mines and Energy, Eduardo Braga, announced in Houston (Texas) in the United States, the realization of the 13th Bidding Round for oil and gas exploration in Brazil. The 269 blocks to be auctioned in the final quarter of this year, are out of the pre-salt area and can be exploited by any interested company that meets the requirements without the need for association with Brazilian partner. The details of the round was published by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
“I would like to invite everyone to participate in the 13th round. It will be an opportunity for enterprises to increase their participation or enter the Brazilian market. Mature areas will be offered as well as new frontiers and has great potential,” said the minister.
The disclosure was made during the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), the leading industry event in the world that takes place between 3 and 7 May. Also participating in the event representatives of ANP and Petrobras, which was awarded for technologies developed to explore the pre-salt, with oDistinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizarions, and Institutions. During the trip, the Minister will give a lecture about investment opportunities in Brazil, in the event the Chamber of Commerce Brazil Texas (BRATECC).
In his presentation, the minister also announced that the next rounds of bidding for concession areas will be planned taking into several factors, including the needs of the oil companies, the demand on suppliers of services industries, the ability of the local industry and the studies conducted by the ANP, including the latest findings.
During his lecture, Braga presented investors with a Brazil full of business opportunities, which are already the largest companies in the world, 26 of them operating oil fields. Of all the oil discovered in the world in the last five years, 36% are in Brazil (22.9 billion barrels). This percentage increases to 63% when only computed discoveries in deep waters (22.2 billion barrels). A special opportunity is in the production of natural gas, including for production of electricity. The demand for the product is growing and half of it is now supplied with imported gas.
The minister also explained that the country is making macroeconomic adjustments – particularly in the fiscal area – to recover economic growth, which has strong domestic market, controlled inflation, large and diverse industry, abundant natural resources and huge investments in infrastructure, as well as foundations sound macroeconomic and consolidated democracy.
Braga also said that the country has a potential for discoveries in 2.8 million square kilometers, of which 307,700 km² have certain success in exploration. There in the country companies operating in the sector, with 430 fields in production. And there is no restriction on the export of oil in Brazil, which exported over 500,000 barrels per day in 2014, through 17 companies. Petrobras ed for only 45% of such exports, with the remaining 55% the responsibility of other companies operating in the country.
The minister also showed that the power sector is robust and suffered rationing, even with the severe drought that affects the country two years ago. For normal power supply, contributed fundamentally, according to the minister, the expansion and diversification of generation sources, which grew 67% since 2001, from 80 300 MW of installed capacity to 133,900 MW in 2014. since the transmission lines that connect the whole country grew 80% in the same period, from 70,000 kilometers to 125,800 kilometers, he said. During the trip, the minister also participates in meetings with representatives of several companies.
