Brazil plans to publish regulations in coming days to allow companies other than state-run Petrobras to operate some oil production-sharing contracts in the Subsalt Polygon, a source participating in discussions of the rules told Reuters.

The rules will only allow non-Petrobras companies to operate Subsalt Polygon blocks if the blocks are sold to unitize oil fields connected to existing areas already leased under concession contracts signed before new production-sharing rules took effect.

Under the production-sharing rules, Petrobras is the only company allowed to operate oil and gas E&P blocks in the Subsalt Polygon, an offshore area near Rio de Janeiro where some of the world's largest recent discoveries have been made.

Offshore