Central & South America

Global News October 2021

EIA Expects U.S. Natural Gas Consumption to Decline Through 2022, Brazil Seeks Natural Gas Pipeline from Argentina’s Vaca Muerta and more.

EIG Global Energy Partners Submits Offer for Petrobras Pipelines in Brazil

U.S. private equity firm EIG Global Energy Partners submitted a binding offer worth several hundred million dollars on Monday for Petrobras' TBG and TSB natural gas pipelines in Brazil, a source said.

Brazil in Talks with Argentina for Gas Pipeline from Vaca Muerta

Brazil is negotiating with Argentina on the construction of a billion-dollar pipeline from the Vaca Muerta shale gas reserves, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said.

New Fortress Energy to Provide Natural Gas to Unigel’s Brazilian Fertilizer Plants

The supply of gas from NFE’s Suape and Sergipe LNG terminals in Brazil’s northeast will connect Unigel’s operations to the global LNG and natural gas markets as well as significantly reduce pipeline transportation charges.

Enagas First-Half Net Profit Falls on Lower Fees in Spain

Spanish gas grid operator Enagas said its first-half net profit fell 9.8% to 213 million euros ($251.28 million) after a change of regulations in 2020 forced it to charge lower fees in Spain.

Republic of Panama, Energy Transfer Studying Potential Trans-Panama Gateway Pipeline

The Republic of Panama and Dallas-based Energy Transfer LP announced that the parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to study the feasibility of joint participation in a proposed Trans-Panama Gateway Pipeline project.

Ecopetrol Reports Recovery of Operations After Stabilization in Colombia

Ecopetrol reported the recovery of its operations in the upstream, midstream, downstream and sales and marketing segments in Colombia, in connection with the adverse impacts the company had observed because of restrictions on mobility.

Petrobras' Albacora Seen Drawing At Least Three Buyers

Petrobras' Albacora oilfields in Brazil are likely to attract at least three buyers despite a roughly one-month delay to let interested parties finalize their bids, four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Ecuador Races to Move Oil Pipelines, Protect Power Plant from Raging River

Two dozen workers using six excavators cleared a strip of heavy forest in the foothills of Ecuador's Reventador volcano on an overcast June morning, rushing to carve a new route for an oil pipeline in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the country's worst oil spill in decades.

Argentina NatGas Woes Risk Slide Back into Energy Deficit

Argentina, which had steadily dug itself out of a deep energy deficit to post a slender surplus last year, is set to sink back into an energy hole this year that could reach $1 billion due to local natural gas shortfalls driving the need for expensive LNG imports.

Brazil's Petrobras Disqualifies Excelerate Energy's Bid on LNG Lease

Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Monday that it had disqualified U.S.-based Excelerate Energy LP's bid on a lease for an LNG terminal in northeastern Bahia state.

Ecuador's Lasso Names Former State Oil Executive as Energy Minister

Bermeo oversaw Petroamazonas' restoration of crude output following the bursting of two pipelines in April of 2020. The company, which focused on crude production, later merged with Petroecuador, which had focused on oil transport and refining.

Colombia Oil Industry Ready for New Jobo-Transmetano Gas Pipeline

Since the beginning of the pandemic, apart from the three critical months of March, April and May 2020, the Colombian oil industry best knew how to face this difficult situation in Latin America. The $400 million Jobo-Transmetano, expected to go into service in December 2024, is the biggest evidence of this.

Ecopetrol Operations Impacted by Colombia’s Protests

Colombia’s Ecopetrol has accumulated high levels of inventories in wholesale plants and the pipelines network due to protests that “have resulted in blockades of the country's main roads and isolated incidents against certain of the Ecopetrol Group's infrastructure."

Enbridge, Fluxys, EIG Bid for Brazil's Top NatGas Import Pipeline

A consortium of Canada's Enbridge, Belgium's Fluxys and U.S. private equity firm EIG Global Energy Partners has submitted a non-binding offer for Brazil's largest natural gas import pipeline, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters this week.

Venezuela Needs $58 Billion to Restore Crude Output to 1998 Levels

PDVSA estimated that $7.65 billion is needed for reviving pipelines, projects for gas injection to oilfields, terminals and refineries that are idled or underperforming due to lack of maintenance.

Brazil's Antitrust Body Postpones Deadline for Petrobras Asset Sales

Brazil's antitrust authority CADE postponed deadlines for divestitures by state-controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, including its refineries, natural gas pipelines and its stakes in natural gas distribution companies.

Fluxys Partners with Brazilian Gas Transmission System Operator TBG

Gas infrastructure company Fluxys and institutional investor EIG Global Energy Partners have completed the announced transfer of EIG’s minority stake in Brazilian gas transmission system operator TBG.

Petrobras Natural Gas Hikes Enduring Even as Shares Dip

Petroleo Brasileiro SA is unlikely to be able to back away from a 39% hike in natural gas prices slammed by Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, sources close to the company said, pointing to the durability of existing contracts with distributors.

Construction of Cuxtal Gas Pipeline to Boost Yucatan Economy

The start-up of the Cuxtal 1 gas pipeline represents a key infrastructure project aimed at satisfying the demand for energy in this region of Mexico, which is currently growing at twice the national average: 4.1% versus 2.6%.

Venezuela Gas Pipeline Tract Explosion Blamed on Attack

A tract of a gas pipeline in eastern Venezuela suffered an explosion on Saturday afternoon, according to a report from state oil company PDVSA seen by Reuters, an incident the country’s oil minister blamed on an attack.

Baker Hughes Flexible Pipe Technology Should Overcome Challenges of Pre-Salt Subsea Developments

Baker Hughes reached a significant technology milestone in pioneering a solution to overcome flexible pipe stress corrosion cracking (SCC) tendencies in high CO2 content fields, such as those found in Brazil’s pre-salt offshore developments.

Peru's Ultra-Conservative Candidate Could Kick Out Odebrecht

Peru's Rafael López Aliaga, an ultra-conservative member of Opus Dei, has a serious shot at becoming the Andean country's next president.

Brazil Hopes to Attract Natural Gas Investors with New Law

Under the bill, companies interested in building gas pipelines will need a simple authorization rather than a more complex concession contract.

Organized Crime Siphons Billions from Gas Stations in Brazil

Fuel-related crimes are common in oil-producing nations in emerging markets, sometimes involving theft from pipelines.

Spotlight on South America: New Gas Pipeline to Boost Northern Peru

Gasnorp, a subsidiary of Promigas in Peru, signed a 32-year concession contract with the Peruvian state for the distribution of natural gas through the pipeline network in the provinces of Piura, Talara, Sullana, Paita and Sechura.

Argentina's Vaca Muerta Growth Depends on LNG to Asia

Argentina needs to plan and build more liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity to accelerate the development of its largest shale play, Vaca Muerta, the CEO of Pan American Energy said.

Venezuela Offers Natural Gas to Mexico, Experts Question Plan

Venezuela does not have a liquefaction plant to convert natural gas into LNG, which would be necessary to send the gas via sea to Mexico, industry experts said.

Argentina's Shale Oil Drives Rebound

Oil output from the Vaca Muerta region in Patagonia, which holds the fourth-largest shale oil reserves in the world, stalled during the coronavirus pandemic but hit a record high in December as producers revved up wells with an eye on rebounding prices and a new export market.

NG Energy to Evaluate Formations in Maria Conchita Field

After NG Energy International Corp. successfully drilled a well on the Maria Conchita block, where there is now a pipeline being built to deliver natural gas, NGE’s technical team and external consultants recently finalized a study to evaluate the formations in the Maria Conchita field as a whole.