Artur Watt says the round will be held on October 7th and will include more than 500 concession and sharing blocks
The director general of the (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), said this Friday (May 22, 2026) that the agency approved the holding of 2 new auctions of oil blocks. The auction will be held on October 7th.
25 blocks will be auctioned under the production sharing regime – a model in which the Union retains a portion of the oil extracted, in addition to bonuses and royalties – and more than 500 blocks under the concession regime – in which the winning company assumes the risk of exploration and, in the event of discovery, becomes the owner of the production by paying taxes and shares to the government.
The notice had already been published. As there was an expression of interest from investors, the idea evolved into the auction.
“This means that Brazil continues to advance in the oil sector and attract national and foreign investments, which are fundamental to this sector.“, he told Poder360.
Watt stated that the ANP has been working on presenting the assets to the market and said that the receptivity of investors has been positive. According to him, the agency has been carrying out roadshows and conversations with potential interested parties to increase the attractiveness of the round.
“The turbulent international scenario increases the attractiveness of investment in Brazil in the oil sector“, he commented during the event, held in Guarujá (SP).
The ANP has used the permanent offer model to accelerate the availability of exploratory areas, both in concession and sharing, amid the government’s effort to expand investments in the oil and gas sector.
Event
O This Friday (May 22, 2026) holds the 5th Esfera Forum, in Guarujá (SP). The event brings together politicians, authorities and businesspeople to debate elections, infrastructure, reforms, economic growth, technology, among other topics.
Ministers, congressmen, businesspeople, heads of regulatory agencies, experts and political strategists will participate in the first day. Among the names are Alexandre Silveira, Arnaldo Jardim (Cidadania-SP), Tábata Amaral (PSB-SP), Marcos Rogério (PL-RO), Artur Watt, Duda Lima and Lino Cançado, among others. In total, there will be 5 debate panels and 1 public interview on Friday’s schedule.
The meeting is held in a hotel in Guarujá (SP). The digital newspaper Poder360 broadcast the event via do YouTube.
Here are the event panels and participants:
Friday (May 22, 2026)
“The new economy and the pillars of Brazil’s development”, at 2:15 pm:
- Diego Aguiar, CEO of Ambipar Response;
- Vinicius Marques de Carvalho, CGU minister;
- George Santoro, executive secretary of the Ministry of Transport;
- Marcos Rogério (PL-RO), senator;
- Vander Costa, president of the CNT.
“Experience and Renewal on the new board of Brazilian politics”, at 3pm:
- Guilherme Theo Sampaio, director of EPE;
- Sandoval Feitosa, general director of Aneel;
- Arnaldo Jardim (Cidadania-SP), federal deputy;
- Larissa Oliveira Rego, program director at SAE;
- Tiago Faierstein, CEO of ANAC;
- Artur Watt Neto, president of the ANP.
“Experience and Renewal on the new board of Brazilian politics”, at 3:40 pm:
- Tábata Amaral (PSB-SP), federal deputy;
- Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment;
- Rubens Pereira Júnior (PT-MA), federal deputy.
Interview 1 – Alexandre Silveira, Minister of Mines and Energy, at 4:20 pm
“How to read Brazil divided”, at 4:40 pm:
- Andrei Roman, CEO of Atlas Intel;
- Duda Lima, publicist;
- Lula Guimarães, publicist;
- Otávio Antunes, partner at Quaest;
- Pedro Doria, journalist.
“Is the future of the Brazilian energy matrix 100% renewable?”, at 5:20 pm:
- Adriano Pires, director of CBIE;
- Elbia Gannoum, president of ABEEólica;
- Ivan Monteiro, president of Axia Energia (formerly Eletrobras);
- Kennedy Alencar, director of Institutional Relations at Vale;
- Lino Cançado, president of the Board of Directors of Eneva.
Saturday (May 23, 2026)
Interview 2: Geraldo Alckmin, vice-president of the Republic, at 9am.
Interview 3: Luís Roberto Barroso, former STF minister, at 9:15 am.
“How to leverage development through ports and waterways”, at 9:30 am:
- Anderson Pomini, CEO of the Santos Port Authority;
- Artur Maia (União Brasil-BA), federal deputy;
- Frederico Dias, director of regulation at ANTAQ;
- Aquiles Dias, CEO of Hidrovias do Brasil;
- Tomé Franca, president of ABTP (Brazilian Association of Port Terminals).
Interview 4: Luciano Huck, TV presenter, at 10am.
“Security and sovereignty: confronting factions and the future of the federative pact”, at 10:20 am:
- Ricardo Saadi, president of Coaf;
- Mendonça Filho (PL-PE), federal deputy;
- Carolina Ricardo, executive director of the Sou da Paz Institute;
- Luiz Bichara, lawyer.
“Digital transformation as a vector for growth and reindustrialization in Brazil”, at 10:55 am:
- Alexandre Baldy, vice president of BYD Brasil;
- Carlos Sanchez, president of the board of directors of EMS;
- Luiz Antônio Elias, executive secretary of Mdic;
- Lírio Parisotto, businessman and investor;
- Fabio Coelho, president of Google Brazil.
“Planalto 2026”, at 11:30 am:
- Aldo Rebelo (Christian Democracy), pre-candidate for president;
- Renan Santos (Mission), pre-candidate for president;
- Ronaldo Caiado, pre-candidate for president.
“Economy, Innovation and Productivity”, at 12:10 pm:
- Flávio Rocha, president of the Board of Directors of Riachuelo;
- Luana Ozemela, vice-president of Impact and Sustainability at iFood;
- Rafael Sales, CEO of Honey Island Capital;
- André Street, founder and president of Stone.
“The tax dilemma beyond the obvious: guidelines for balance”, at 1 pm:
- André Esteves, chairman and partner of BTG Pactual;
- Miriam Belchior, executive secretary of the Civil House;
- Bruno Dantas, TCU minister;
- Aloizio Mercadante, president of BNDES.
