Brasília – Eduardo Braga, minister of Mines and Energy, said this Thursday (11th) that the 13th Round of Bids on Exploratory Blocks for Oil and Natural Gas will be launched on July 7th in a ceremory in Palácio do Planalto with the presence of president Dilma Rousseff. The announcement is part of a package of measures for the energy sector that Dilma said the government was going to implement as part of a growth-recovery strategy for the Brazilian economy.
This week, the National Council for Energy Policy (CNPE) issued the authorization for the round of bids. In all, 266 blocks, with 125,000 square kilometers, will be offered. Also, 11 marginal fields will be included.
“We are very hopeful and optimistic. We will launch it on July 7th, with the presence of president Dilma here in Brasília, at Palácio do Planalto, so we can officially start the 13th Round”, said Braga, after a meeting with acting president Michel Temer. The bidding process will take place in October and the government’s expectation is to collect around R$ 1.5 billion (US$ 475 million) to R$ 2 billion (US$ 634 million), according to the minister.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
