The Portuguese Galp Energia and Petrogal are among the 19 companies qualified for the next auction of licences in partnership with the Brazilian Government to explore oil and natural gas in the pre-salt layer.
© Lusa
27/06/2026
by
Lusa
A list of companies eligible to participate in the fourth cycle of the Permanent Offer in Production Sharing, whose public session is scheduled for October 7, was released on Friday by the National Agency for Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) after its publication in the Official Journal of the Union.
Through these partnership contracts, the winning companies will jointly explore, with the Brazilian Government, blocks located in the pre-salt layer, the hydrocarbon horizon situated under a vast layer of salt in the ultra-deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, off the Brazilian coast.
The pre-salt layer has some of the largest reserves discovered in recent decades and is considered the main engine of the growth of Brazilian production, with the potential to make the country one of the five largest oil exporters in the world by the end of the decade.
BP (United Kingdom), Shell (United Kingdom-Netherlands), Repsol (Spain), Chevron (United States), TotalEnergies (France), Equinor (Norway), CNOOC and Sinopec (China), Karoon (Australia), Kufpec (Kuwait), Petronas (Malasia) and QatarEnergy (Catar).
The ANP clarified that the inclusion in the list does not necessarily imply that the companies submit tenders in the auction. To that end, they shall formally express their interest and provide the guarantees required by the regulatory authority by 21 July, individually or in a consortium.
The agency also reported that the current competition includes the possibility of participation in partnerships for the development of 23 exploration blocks available in the offshore basins of Campos and Santos, in the pre-salt layer.
The ANP added that, on August 6, it will disclose which of these areas received demonstrations of interest and, therefore, will be offered in the October round of competitions.
Galp closed the first quarter of the year with an adjusted profit of EUR 272 million, an increase of 41% over the same period, sustained by the increase in oil production in Brazil and Brent's prices.