Brazil had 411 exploration blocks under contract at end-September
Brazilian petroleum regulator ANP’s September report, released on 15 October, records 411 exploration blocks under contract and 25 discovery assessments in progress as of 30 September. Four exploratory wells had begun drilling since the start of 2026.
Event / data period: 2026-09
Published: · Updated:
One exploratory well began drilling in September and one was completed; no new discovery notifications or commerciality declarations were recorded that month. The report’s 19 wells and US$888 million of investment envisaged for 2026 are expectations, rather than completed drilling or actual expenditure totals.
Data
Exploration activity
As of 30 September 2026
- Exploration blocks under contract
- 411 count
- 2026-09-30 · Observed
- Discovery assessments in progress
- 25 count
- 2026-09-30 · Observed
- Exploratory well starts, January–September
- 4 count
- 2026-01-01 — 2026-09-30 · Observed
Methodology
Directly transcribed from ANP; contracted blocks and ongoing assessments are stocks. Well starts cover January–September; actual counts are separate from full-year expectations.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- Oil and gasSuggested
- Subject suggested from the title or summary: petroleum, exploration blockswww.gov.br ↗
Geographic references
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- Brazil · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferredwww.gov.br ↗