The National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) approved this Tuesday (10) the inclusion of seven exploratory oil and gas blocks in the pre-salt for bidding under a production sharing regime scheduled for June 2025, according to a note of the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The advisory body of the Presidency of the Republic authorized the inclusion of the Cerussite, Aragonite, Rhodochrosite, Malachite, Opal, Quartz and Chalcedony blocks, located in the Santos Basin, in the States of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Revenue from signature bonuses from contracts for the new blocks that will be auctioned could generate R$874 million for the Union, the ministry estimated.
For these blocks, the expectation of government revenue is more than R$220 billion during the useful life of the projects, with a forecast of R$214 billion in investments during the period.
The new blocks join the other 17 previously authorized by the CNPE.
As a result, the next auction, scheduled for June, should be the largest auction under the production sharing regime in terms of number of blocks, according to the ministry.
Tankers
At the same time, the CNPE approved a resolution that establishes minimum levels of local content for the construction of new tankers in Brazil, favoring the hiring of national suppliers, in a guideline pursued by the Lula government to stimulate Brazilian industry, according to the ministry.
“We are strengthening the naval industry and paying attention to national shipyards, which face idleness problems due to competition from other countries,” said minister Alexandre Silveira, in a statement.
“With the approved measure, we will stimulate the creation of qualified jobs and bring major investments to the country’s naval sector, in addition to supporting the expansion of the logistics capacity of the oil and derivatives sector”, added the holder of the Mines and Energy portfolio.
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According to the resolution, new tankers must have a minimum global index of 50% local content, which includes goods produced and services provided in Brazil during the execution of the construction contract.
The percentage covers investment groups such as engineering services, machinery and equipment, in addition to the construction and assembly of vessels.