A consortium led by Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras, which includes ExxonMobil, was awarded five blocks in the controversial Foz do Amazonas basin during an auction held by the national energy regulator ANP.
Another consortium, led by Chevron and including China's state-owned oil company CNPC, acquired a total of nine blocks in the same auction.
In Brazil, oil drilling plans in the Foz do Amazonas basin—located off the coast of the Amazon rainforest—are controversial due to the region’s environmental significance and have faced permitting delays.
The area is home to vast coral reef systems and coastal Indigenous communities.
A separate consortium between Petrobras and ExxonMobil, this time led by the U.S. company, secured another five blocks in the basin.
