A man works at the Cidade Angra dos Reis offshore platform at the Lula oil field, about 300 km (186.4 miles) from the coast of Rio de Janeiro, February 16, 2011. Brazil plans to hold two subsalt oil auctions in 2017, putting new exploration areas up for bidding in November for what should be the “most competitive” round of the year, Oil Secretary Marcio Felix said in an interview on Thursday. The auctions, an effort to lure foreign investment in a sector that for much of the past decade was the object of protectionist policies in Brazil, will be the first since 2013 for the offshore region known as the subsalt, where giant discoveries were made starting about a decade ago. The first auction, expected in the first half of this year, will offer areas next to existing discoveries already in development, Felix said. The November auction will be […]