LatAmOil - Latin America Oil & Gas

T&T rejects labour union’s bid for Petrotrin, announces plans for another sale

The government of Trinidad and Tobago said last week that it had rejected a local trade union’s bid for the Petrotrin oil refinery in Point-a-Pierre and would instead make another attempt to sell the facility.

Port of Spain to launch next deepwater licensing round by end-2021

Franklin Khan, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has revealed that his government intends to launch its next deepwater bidding round before the end of this year.

NRG LatAmOil: Trinidad investment offerings

The government of Trinidad and Tobago is gearing up to launch two investment initiatives.

Panama Canal congestion contributes to LNG price spike

Congestion in the Panama Canal delaying shipments of LNG from the US Gulf Coast to Asia is among the factors contributing to record-high spot prices for the super-chilled fuel in Northeast Asia.

Sore spots in US-Mexico energy relations

Biden takes office in the face of US concerns about competition in Mexico's energy markets – and a Mexican leader’s determination to uphold his own preference for state-owned companies.

Quito prepares for talks on refinery lease

Ecuador’s government will receive a formal proposal from a US-Korean consortium for the lease and modernisation of the 110,000 barrel per day (bpd) Esmeraldas oil refinery next month.

Mexican president suggests review of energy regulators’ roles

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has suggested that the government review the roles of the independent agencies set up to oversee the fuel and energy sector, on the grounds that some of them are redundant.

Shell farms into CAN 100 project

Equinor of Norway and Argentina’s national oil company (NOC) YPF have agreed to team up with Royal Dutch Shell (UK/Netherlands) for the exploration and development of CAN 100, an offshore block in the North Argentinian Basin.

Petrobras comments on timing, progress of refinery sales

Brazil’s national oil company (NOC) Petrobras said earlier this week it had not yet given final approval to amendments to its agreements with the Administrative Council for Economic Defence (CADE) on the sale of eight oil refineries.

PetroTal extends oil sales contract with Petroperu by two years

Canada’s PetroTal has extended the term of its crude oil sales contract with Petroperu, the national oil and gas regulatory agency of Peru, by two years.

YPF prepares for talks on debt restructuring, securities swap

Argentina’s national oil company (NOC) YPF is gearing up for talks with creditors on a debt restructuring deal that may include a voluntary bond swap proposed earlier this month.

BHP confirms failure of Broadside-1 well

Australia’s BHP has revealed that it did not find any hydrocarbons in Broadside-1, a well drilled last year at Block 3 offshore Trinidad and Tobago.

PdVSA invites private Venezuelan companies to operate some of its oilfields

Venezuela’s government has reportedly offered to let small, privately owned companies operate fields assigned to state-owned PdVSA in a bid to prop up sagging production levels.

NRG: LNG spikes, political swings and new technologies

ExxonMobil’s Hassa-1 well proves disappointing

The US super-major ExxonMobil has reportedly experienced a disappointment at Hassa-1, a well drilled at the Stabroek block offshore Guyana.

Total makes fourth oil find at Block 58

France’s Total and its US-based partner Apache revealed last week that they had struck oil for the fourth time in the Keskesi-1 well at Block 58 offshore Suriname.

What’s next for the Venezuelan sanctions regime?

The incoming Biden administration is likely to take a softer approach to Venezuelan sanctions, but opposition leader Guaido will continue to play a role in US policy discussions .

NFE to acquire LNG and power assets in Brazil, along with Golar LNG

US-based New Fortress Energy (NFE) is set to raise its profile through the acquisition of LNG and power-generating assets in Brazil and of another company, Golar LNG, also known as GMLP.

PGS to reprocess 2D seismic data from Pelotas, Punta del Este basins

Norway’s PGS has agreed to reprocess more than 11,000 km of existing 2D seismic data under a new agreement with ANCAP, the national oil company (NOC) of Uruguay.

Apache to assign Latin American assets to holding company

US-based Apache said last week that it intended to assign its assets in Suriname and the Dominican Republic to a new holding that will be known as APA Corp.

Crown Point, Centaurus plan merger to boost profile in Argentina

Crown Point Energy and Centaurus Energy have announced plans to merge in order to strengthen their position in Argentina, where they are working to develop conventional and unconventional oil and gas fields.

Petrobras production hits all-time high in 2020

Brazil’s national oil company (NOC) Petrobras said last week that its production levels had reached record highs in 2020.

Failed gas supply talks lead Methanex to idle Titan methanol plant

Canada’s Methanex is preparing to scale back its presence in Trinidad and Tobago, keeping the Titan methanol plant idle after failing to hammer out a natural gas supply deal with state-owned NGC.

RdK begins talks with consortium on sale of Isla refinery

Refineria di Korsou (RdK), the government-run operator of Curaçao’s only oil-processing plant, has announced plans to begin negotiations with another bidder for the sale of its main assets.

Echo Energy, GTLI sign Bolivian co-operation agreement

UK-based Echo Energy signed an agreement last week with GTL International (GTLI), a fully-owned subsidiary of Bolivia’s UruboCorp, on co-operation in the Bolivian energy sector.