Approved by ANP last week, Petrobras will halt production at 25 platforms for up to a year while negotiating the sale of the areas to the private sector. Petrobras also requested the interruption of production in nine other units, but will still need to present studies to justify the request.
The units are located in the States of Bahia, Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe and Espirito Santo. In all, the units cover 24 mature fields, 11 onshore. Most areas already integrate the company’s divestment plan, presented in March, with 104 concessions representing 2% of the company’s production.
Authorization was granted July 4, in board meeting of the agency. The ANP also determined that if the company cannot sell the areas and establish the “economic infeasibility” of production, it should anticipate the end of the contract. According to a resolution of the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) this year, the returned contracts of closed areas may be the target of new auctions for small businesses.
In a meeting with union leaders on Tuesday, the president of Petrobras, Pedro Parente, stressed that there is no “solution” to the oil company without selling assets.
Along with directors, the executive said that they working to “save” the company and indicated the possibility of an investor partner in Transpetro to pay off debts of the subsidiary.
In response to the divestitures, the unions have already started mobilizing for a new strike movement.
Unions in the North and Northeast, where are onshore fields are concentrated for sale, also started meeting on Tuesday to vote to strike next month.
The information is the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.
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