The MoU was signed during Rio Oil & Gas by the current director-general of the ANP, Magda Chambriard, and the UK consul-general in Rio de Janeiro, Jonathan Dunn.

The pact, which renews an earlier co-operation agreement, covers technical and regulatory issues and may include the sharing of information and experiences.

The agreement encompasses oil and gas licensing and the technical and regulatory aspects of exploration and production.

The ANP recently sent a delegation to London to learn about UK experiences in the field of decommissioning.

“The ANP wants to achieve the highest technical standards in order to be a state-of-the art regulatory agency. Co-operation and learning experiences are a fundamental part of this, and it is by sharing experiences and learning from peers that an agency becomes stronger and more autonomous,” Chambriard said.

“There is no doubt that the UK sets some of the best standards from a technical and regulatory aspect,” she added.

Dunn said exchanging information on topics such as achieving the most efficient use of resources would be a key area of co-operation.

“The UK can share experience on managing a maturing basin and issues such as decommissioning,” he said.