Auction of ANP was amazing success, says Magda

RIO-after five years without giving new areas for exploration, the national petroleum Agency (ANP) ended the 11th round of bids with strong private sector interest, which scooped two thirds of 155 thousand square kilometres offered. Twelve oil companies of Brazil and 18 from overseas have paid a record signing bonus by the concessions: $ 2,823 billion, surpassing the $ 2.1 billion in the 9th round, in 2007. "It was an amazing success," summed up the Director-General of NPA, Magda Chambriard, highlighting the record round. "We are extremely pleased, the result exceeded our expectations to raise $ 2 billion."
The amount paid by the companies in the signature of contracts was 797% above the minimum required by the ANP. Were awarded to 142 of 289 blocks offered with minimum investments totaling about $ 7 billion, a premium of 628% in relation to the minimum required.
Petrobras was the company that won bids, but with new profile. Preferred partnerships, especially in the more expensive blocks on the high seas, and gave up to be carrier in most of them. The biggest absence was of Asian companies, which do not arremataram areas, frustrating expectations.
The Brazilian HRT, who lost to Marcio Mello's leadership this week, either made bids. OGX, on the other hand, surprised when making multiple offers, despite facing a crisis of confidence and difficulties to cash generation. OGX's was the previous record of amount paid by a block ($ 344 million), but despite having been bold in the past the company didn't find oil as expected.
A partial with eight of the 11 offered basins showed that took 13 oil blocks, being ten alone. The PNA has not yet closed the event with balance sheet total blocks per company. OGX shares reacted with a high of 5.39%.
The auction also marked the return of ExxonMobil to Brazil, with two blocks. Foreigners will have a partnership with OGX, which the President of the Brazilian Institute of petroleum (IBP), João Carlos de Luca, considered "show respect" to the Brazilian company. De Luca and Magda said that the result of this auction shows the appetite of companies and gives a layout that shows the business community will have in the next two rounds this year, a gas, in October, and the pre-salt, in December.
For Magda, OGX and Queiroz Galvão (HQ) consolidated after this auction, as deep water operators. The HQ chose to enter in partnerships. Chevron, responsible for the accident on the friar, had discreet performance. Already the Petra Energy focused on onshore gas and had a acting aggressive, making bids for entire basins and taking at least 26 blocks.
Companies such as BP, Total and Petrogral entered into large blocks in partnership with Petrobras. Are among the most spent resources. Petrogal and Total took at least ten blocks each. BG won ten blocks in the basin of Barreirinhas, nine in deep water. The company, which was not operator in Brazil, now will operate all ten blocks seized. "Writes there that we're very happy," said the President of BG in Brazil Nelson Silva.
Magda said that areas can come back in the next procedure not auctions. The round also featured new companies in the sector, such as Ouro Preto, which has in its staff Rodolfo Landim, ex-braço right to Eike Batista. Took three blocks alone.
Magda also highlighted the performance of small businesses in mature basins. Sabre Pacific, Brazil, Premier Oil, Cowan, Cepsa, Irati, Chariot, Ecopetrol, the Geopark and Manati Brazil are among the little-known companies that arremataram areas.