The Brazilian National Petroleum Agency (ANP) has approved the inclusion of a high-profile offshore block to the list of exploration acreage that can be offered to investors at future oil and gas bid rounds in the country.

The decision takes place less than two weeks after the ANP added the Jaspe pre-salt prospect area, estimated to hold in place volumes of about 2.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent, to the mix.

The agency now decided to include Block S-M-1259 in the Santos basin, as well as three small onshore tracts, to the growing list of available permits to be auctioned off.