# ANP maps 11 Equatorial Margin sectors and 501 new blocks

> Brazil’s regulator approved a technical reconfiguration of offshore exploration areas covering about 380,000 square kilometres.

- **Source date:** 2026-10-02
- **Original source:** [Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP)](https://www.gov.br/anp/pt-br/canais_atendimento/imprensa/noticias-comunicados/anp-aprova-delimitacao-de-11-novos-setores-exploratorios-nas-bacias-da-margem-equatorial)
- **Reading time:** 1 min
- **Language:** en
- **URL:** https://voltformer.com/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks
- **Markdown:** https://voltformer.com/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks.md

## New areas configured

On 2 October, ANP approved 11 exploratory sectors and configured 501 blocks across five basins: Barreirinhas, Ceará, Foz do Amazonas, Potiguar and Pará-Maranhão. The areas lie in waters deeper than 3,000 metres.

[Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP)](https://www.gov.br/anp/pt-br/canais_atendimento/imprensa/noticias-comunicados/anp-aprova-delimitacao-de-11-novos-setores-exploratorios-nas-bacias-da-margem-equatorial)

## No automatic auction

The agency classified the blocks as a new exploratory frontier, but said the decision does not automatically place them in its Permanent Offer system. Any future offer needs separate review and applicable regulatory steps; existing contracts are unaffected because the new areas are uncontracted.

[Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP)](https://www.gov.br/anp/pt-br/canais_atendimento/imprensa/noticias-comunicados/anp-aprova-delimitacao-de-11-novos-setores-exploratorios-nas-bacias-da-margem-equatorial)

## Other languages

- [en](https://voltformer.com/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [tr](https://voltformer.com/tr/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [de](https://voltformer.com/de/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [ru](https://voltformer.com/ru/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [es](https://voltformer.com/es/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [ar](https://voltformer.com/ar/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [it](https://voltformer.com/it/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)
- [pt](https://voltformer.com/pt/news/anp-configures-11-equatorial-margin-exploration-sectors-501-blocks)

[Company and energy news](https://voltformer.com/news.md) · [Voltformer catalog](https://voltformer.com/catalog)