The following is a list of expected bidding rounds in eachcountry this year:
A July onshore round will allocate up to 37 areas, followedby nine unconventional blocks, with results due in September.
The South American country, which is reducing royalties forbordering and mature fields, has worked hard in recent years torelax its local content rules, an issue seen in the past as amajor obstacle on investment.
In May,
The country's regulator also is in talks with holders ofnine permits for seismic studies in the Caribbean Sea to convertthem into exploration and production contracts.
Results of third offshore round could be disclosed in lateApril, including 17 blocks for exploration and production at itsExclusive Economic Zone.
The nation is offering less demanding qualificationconditions and mandatory exploration terms, according to thegovernment.
State-run Petroleos Paraguayos plans to relaunch in thesecond quarter an auction to find partners for two explorationand production areas after a failed attempt last year.
The blocks - Petropar III and Palo Santo - are part of fiveareas received by Petropar to be developed in
The auction, of a mostly unexplored area covering 225,000kilometers off the Atlantic coast, does not include biddingbonuses, according to the government. Interested firms canpropose blocks to be added to the offer.(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; additional reporting by DanielaDesantis in