Brazil's government has set a minimum total payment of 10.2 billion reais ($1.91 billion) for an upcoming auction offering stakes in three pre-salt oil fields already in production but not yet contracted, state-run firm Pre-Sal Petroleo (PPSA) said.
The auction, scheduled for December 4 at the Sao Paulo-based B3 stock exchange, will offer stakes of 3.5% in the Mero shared reservoir, 0.551% in Tupi, and 0.950% in Atapu. All are currently owned by the federal government.
The highest minimum bid was set for Mero at 7.65 billion reais, followed by Tupi at 1.69 billion reais and Atapu at 863.32 million reais, PPSA said in a statement on Tuesday.
Petrobras PETR3.SA, which operates the fields, is seen as a likely participant. Its chief executive Magda Chambriard has previously said the company evaluates all oil and gas area auctions.
($1 = 5.3285 reais)
(Reuters - Reporting by Marta Nogueira; Writing by Isabel Teles; Editing by Joe Bavier)