SEO Riders:
– Auction proceeds without Indigenous consent, violating ILO Convention 169.
– Major blockholders include Chevron, ExxonMobil, Petrobras, CNPC; $180 m in record bonuses.
– Critics condemn move as “Auction of Death”—a climate & rights backlash ahead of COP30.
On June 17, 2025, Brazil’s National Oil Agency (ANP) held its politically charged 5th Permanent Concession Offer in Rio de Janeiro, releasing 172 oil and gas blocks, including 47 offshore in the Amazon River mouth. Of these, 19 Amazon blocks, covering a vast 16,312 km², were awarded—Chevron and CNPC jointly took nine, while ExxonMobil and Petrobras secured ten. The auction drew record signing bonuses of $180 million, including an astonishing nearly 3,000% premium for one Amazon mouth block.
The event sparked fierce backlash: Indigenous leaders and environmentalists staged protests, condemning the auction for bypassing free, prior, and informed consent and lacking proper environmental assessments—violations of ILO Convention 169 and Brazilian injunctions. Critics labelled the event a “Leilão da Morte” (Auction of Death) and warned it contradicts global climate commitments just months before COP30 in Belem. Climate campaigners also flagged that emissions from these new blocks could exceed 11 billion tonnes CO₂e, an environmental threat incompatible with net-zero goals
