HOUSTON, TEXAS (Ian Silverman and Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 13.Aug.2020, Words: 966) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro is doubling down on earning money through illicit means where sanctions have less of an impact while also doubling down on alliances with autocratic regimes whether its Cuba, Iran, Russia or others, […]
GeoPark To Release Block 64 Back To PetroPeru
(Energy Analytics Institute, 13.Aug.2020) — PetroPerú S.A. agreed to accept the transfer of GeoPark Peru S.A.C.’s 75% interest in the license agreement for Block 64; thus, obtaining 100% of the rights and obligations as a contractor for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons from the deposit. GeoPark Peru had already […]
Venezuela Is Boosting Oil Exports As Output Plummets
(Bloomberg, 13.Aug.2020) — Exports of crude oil, the commodity that bankrolls the regime of President Nicolas Maduro, are set to reach a four-month high of at least 325,000 barrels a day in August, largely because of diesel-for-crude swaps that up until now have been exempt from U.S. sanctions. At the […]
ExxonMobil Holding Out For Approval Of Payara Project
(Stabroek News, 13.Aug.2020) — On the heels of President Irfaan Ali’s announcement on Tuesday that the Payara project approval will have to wait on an international oil expert’s assessment and advice, ExxonMobil last night said that delays will reduce the value of the project and that more than a year […]
PPSA Sale Plan Stokes Oil Contract Debate
(Argus, 12.Aug.2020) — The Brazilian government’s plan to sell state-owned pre-salt marketing company PPSA has stalled amid congressional foot-dragging over a change in pre-salt contract terms. Addressing reporters late yesterday, influential economy minister Paulo Guedes confirmed that the delay in selling the firm contributed to the departure of secretary Salim […]
Nigeria Convicts First Pirates Under New Maritime Law
(Reuters, 12.Aug.2020) — A Nigerian court made the first convictions under a new anti-piracy law, giving hope to the world’s shipping fleets that legal reforms will help stem rising attacks in the Gulf of Guinea. The three men fined by the court in Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s oil hub, on Tuesday […]
Guyana’s Natural Resources Min. Bharrat Tours NRE
(DPI, 12.Aug.2020) — Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat, this morning visited the Ministry of Natural Resources Annex where he toured the facility and met with staff. Minister Bharrat also sat down with Head of Compliance, Derrick Lawrence where the two discussed the department’s operations. The Minister also met […]
Payara Permit Approval On Hold Until Expert Found
(Stabroek News, 12.Aug.2020) — In a key oil sector decision, President Irfaan Ali last evening said that his government is lobbying for technical and financial support to have an international expert review Exxon’s Payara project and advise on the way forward. Government, Ali disclosed, has approached Canada for assistance in […]
PDVSA Takes Another Stab At Replenishing Gasoline
(Argus, 12.Aug.2020) — Venezuelan state-owned PdV plans to restart gasoline production in 10-15 days at its 940,000 b/d CRP refining complex after restarting two crude distillation units yesterday, according to PdV officials and an internal operations report seen by Argus. The CRP is currently processing up to 135,000 b/d of […]
Colombian Oil Major Reports Surprise Profits
(Oilprice.com, 12.Aug.202) — The March 2020 oil price crash and COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global energy sector hard. In response oil companies are slashing capital spending, driving down costs and shuttering uneconomic operations. The key goals being to preserve cash flow, shore-up balance sheets, protect dividend payments and retain […]
Oil Spill In Venezuela Stains Caribbean Beaches
(AP, 12.Aug.2020) — An oil spill in Venezuela has coated a stretch of the crisis-wracked nation’s Caribbean coastline, treasured for its white sand beaches, clusters of small islands and wildlife. Fisherman and locals living around Morrocoy National Park began reporting oil washing ashore last week and it has coated roughly […]
How Venezuela Lost Three Oil Supertankers
(Reuters, 11.Aug.2020) — A shipping joint venture between Venezuela and China has fallen apart in the wake of U.S. sanctions, resulting in the South American nation losing three supertankers at a time when foreign shippers are reluctant to carry its oil, court documents show. PetroChina Co Ltd, which had been […]
Agbami Key Sticking Point In OPEC+ Compliance
(Argus, 11.Aug.2020) — Nigeria’s full compliance to the OPEC+ deal hangs on a key oil grade being treated as a condensate. Since OPEC+ allowed ultra-light oil to be exempt from its production cut deal, the West African nation’s Agbami has been a bone of contention. The challenge is that nobody […]
Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister Visits MNR Agencies
(DPI, 11.Aug.2020) — Solidifying his intention of having a hands-on approach with the Ministry of Natural Resources and its agencies, the Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat, on Tuesday, toured most of the Ministry’s regulatory agencies. This activity served as a direct effort to interact with management and staff, […]
Venezuela Oil Spill Reaches Morrocoy Beaches
(Energy Analytics Institute, 11.Aug.2020) — An oil spill said to have occurred at El Palito refinery, owned and operated by Venezuela’s state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), has reportedly reached the once pristine beaches of Morrocoy. PDVSA has yet to release a statement regarding the incident. RELATED STORY: El […]
Mexico’s Lopez Wants Plan To Execute Energy Vision
(Reuters, 11.Aug.2020) — Mexico’s president has given officials until late September to craft a plan to reassert state control over the energy industry as an alternative to constitutional change to achieve the same goals, according to three people familiar with the matter. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on July 22 […]
Pampa EnergÃa’s Financial Results Thru 30 June 2020
(Pampa, 11.Aug.2020) — Pampa EnergÃa S.A., the largest independent energy integrated company in Argentina, with active participation in the country’s electricity and gas value chain, announces the results for the six-month period and quarter ended on June 30, 2020. As from January 1, 2019, the Company adopted US$ as functional […]
Guyana Could Clear ExxonMobil’s Payara Project
(Argus, 11.Aug.2020) — Guyana’s new government will decide by the end of August whether to approve ExxonMobil’s 220,000 b/d Payara project, natural resources minister Vickram Bharrat said. Payara is ExxonMobil’s third development project on the deepwater Stabroek block, but approval was delayed by a five-month political impasse that ended last […]
Suriname Election Soothes Investor Nerves
(Petroleum Economist, 11.Aug.2020) — The small Latin American nation of Suriname is poised for profound change. Revenues from major offshore oil discoveries announced this year could transform the country’s long-term economic prospects. And, following the resolution of an election deadlock, a new coalition government has finally wrenched power from strongman […]
Guyana Poised To Clear Exxon’s Payara Oil Deal
(Seeking Alpha, 11.Aug.2020) — Guyana’s new government will decide by the end of August whether to approve Exxon Mobil’s 220K bbl/day Payara project, the country’s natural resources minister says. Payara is Exxon’s third development project on the deepwater Stabroek block, but approval has been delayed by a five-month impasse that […]
LNG Vessel Completes 10,000th Neopanamax Transit At Panama Canal
(Panama Canal Authority, 11.Aug.2020) — The Panama Canal welcomed the 10,000th Neopanamax vessel through the Expanded Canal on Monday, marking a new milestone for the nearly 106-year waterway and its growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) segment. The milestone transit was completed by LNG vessel SK Resolute travelling southbound from the […]
Petrobras On Expressing Interest In Colombian Assets
(Petrobras, 11.Aug.2020) — Petrobras, following up on the release disclosed on 27 July 2020, regarding the sale of its entire stake in the exploratory portion of the Tayrona Block, located in the Guajira Basin, Colombia, informs that it has extended until 21 August the deadline for companies to express their […]
Petrobras Releases Santos Basin Teaser
(Petrobras, 10.Aug.2020) — Petrobras informs that it has started the opportunity disclosure stage (teaser), referring to the sale of 50% to 100% of its stake in the BM-S-51 concession with hand-over the operation, located in the Santos Basin, in the pre-salt polygon. The concession is located at water depths ranging […]
Petrobras Pays R$950mn In Sete Brasil Dispute
(Petrobras, 10.Aug.2020) — Petrobras, following up on the release dated 29 July 2020, informs it paid Fundação Petrobras de Seguridade Social (Petros) R$ 950 million, regarding the full amount of the agreement with Petros on the arbitral dispute related to the investment in Sete Brasil. The agreement extinguished the dispute […]
Guyana Mulls Absorbing Energy Dept Into Ministry
(Argus, 10.Aug.2020) — Guyana’s new natural resources minister is computer scientist Vickram Bharrat, a key appointment for the rapidly expanding oil sector. Bharrat, who is part of the administration of President Irfaan Ali that was inaugurated on 8 August, could assume an expanded portfolio if the ministry absorbs the energy […]
AES Gener To Speed Up Payments For Two PPAs
(AES Corp., 10.Aug.2020) — AES Corporation’s subsidiary, AES Gener, reached an agreement for the early termination of two tolling agreements (Power Purchase Agreements, PPAs) with the 558 MW Angamos coal-fired plant in Chile. Per this agreement, the PPAs will cease in August 2021. This year, Angamos will receive a payment […]
Cameron LNG Reaches Full Commercial Operations
(Sempra LNG, 10.Aug.2020) — Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, announced the Cameron LNG export facility in Hackberry, Louisiana, has begun full commercial operations under Cameron LNG’s tolling agreements. “At Sempra LNG, we set a goal of building the leading LNG export business in North America. With Cameron LNG […]
Ecuador Applies Fuels Price Band
EP PetroEcuador will apply the fixation and publication of prices in Ecuador’s clean products terminals in compliance with executive decree no. 1054 of 19 May 2020, by means of which the “regulation of prices of petroleum derivatives” was amended.
Fuel Issues Reported In Bolivia In La Paz And El Alto
(Energy Analytics Institute, 10.Aug.2020) — Issues with fuel supply have reportedly emerged in La Paz and El Alto as seen by long lines of vehicles at various gas stations in the cities. The La Paz-based Association of Private Hydrocarbon Suppliers (Asosur by its Spanish acronym) warned fuel shortages could become […]
Saudi Arabia Turns Off America’s Oil Taps Again
(Bloomberg, 9.Aug.2020) — The strategy worked wonders in 2017. It will be more challenging this time around unless the pandemic eases its grip on oil demand. For the second time in three years, Saudi Arabia is slashing the volume of crude it’s sending to America in an attempt to force down […]
Libya’s NOC Head Warns Of Potential Disaster At Ports
(S&P Global Platts, 9.Aug.2020) — The head of Libya’s state-run National Oil Corp warned Aug. 8 that the presence of stored flammable commodities at the country’s key oil export terminals risks a potentially worse disaster than the explosion this week in Beirut, as armed conflict continues around the facilities. Fighting […]
Petrobras Comments On Record Diesel, Asphalt Sales
(Petrobras, 7.Aug.2020) — Petrobras achieved record sales for the S-10 Diesel in the Brazilian market. The Company sold 1.78 million m³, 12.7% higher than the previous record in July 2019, when sales reached 1.58 million m³. The sales record for the S-10 Diesel reflects the rapid commercial actions implemented to […]
Petrobras On Mothballing Of The Merluza Platform
(Petrobras, 7.Aug.2020) — Petrobras’ Executive Board approved the mothballing of the Merluza platform (PMLZ-1), located in shallow waters in the Santos Basin. The platform’s production had already been interrupted since March 2020, with the abrupt drop of demand for natural gas, and the deactivation will allow the reduction of operating […]
Petrobras Reveals Urucu Cluster Binding Phase
(Petrobras, 7.Aug.2020) — Petrobras, following up on the press release disclosed on 26 June 2020, informs the beginning of the binding phase, referring to the sale of its entire stake in a set of seven onshore production concessions (Urucu Cluster), located in the Solimões Basin, in the state of Amazonas. […]
Petrobras Starts Camamu Basin Binding Phase
(Petrobras, 7.Aug.2020) — Petrobras, following up on the release disclosed on 1 June 2020, announces the beginning of the binding phase regarding the sale of its stake (35%) in the Manati field, a shallow water offshore production located in the Camamu Basin, in the state of Bahia. Potential buyers qualified […]
CleanSpark And Sunshine Energy Ink Costa Rica Deal
(CleanSpark, 7.Aug.2020) — CleanSpark, Inc., a diversified software and services company and Sunshine Energy Corp., announce consummation of an exclusive partnership. The agreement allows Sunshine the exclusive right to market and sell CleanSpark’s products and services throughout the country of Costa Rica. As part of the agreement, Sunshine will license […]
JinkoSolar Reveals N-Type Tiger Pro 610W At SNEC 2020
(JinkoSolar, 7.Aug.2020) — JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. launched its new generation of 610W Tiger Pro High-efficiency monocrystalline TR solar module and its BIPV solutions, Building Integrated Photovoltaics product series, which will be unveiled at SNEC 2020 in Shanghai. As a PV company that has ranked first in global modules shipments […]
Petrobras Starts Sergipe-Alagoas Basin Binding Phase
(Petrobras, 7.Aug.2020) — Petrobras, following up on the press release disclosed on 29 June 2020, informs the beginning of the binding phase, referring to the sale of its entire stake in the Tartaruga field, belonging to the SES-107D concession, located in shallow waters of the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin. Potential buyers qualified […]
PDVSA Changes Deals To Add Shipping Amid Sanctions
(Reuters, 7.Aug.2020) — Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA has begun offering to ship its own oil, figuring in the costs in crude supply deals to help customers who have struggled to hire vessels to carry the country’s oil due to U.S. sanctions, according to company documents seen by Reuters. The […]
Trump Hits Wall With Bid To Place Ally At LatAm Bank
(Bloomberg, 7.Aug.2020) — Mexico called for delaying the election of a new chief for a key Latin American development bank amid controversy caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to have a close ally at the helm of the institution. Mexico’s finance ministry announced Friday its support for a postponement […]
Camisea Has Contributed Royalties Of $10.5bn
(Energy Analytics Institute, 7.Aug.2020) — Camisea has reportedly contributed $10.45bn in terms of royalties during the 16 years it has been operating in Peru, website La República reported 7 August 2020. This figure represent 0.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the media reported. Camisea’s gas exploitation takes place […]
Total Closes Sale Of Non-Core Assets To NEO Energy
(Total, 6.Aug.2020) — Following the regulatory approvals and the agreement of partners, Total closed the sale of UK North Sea non-core assets to NEO Energy. “As announced on May 20, we have worked closely with HitecVision and its portfolio company NEO Energy to conclude this sale. This sale of assets […]
AES Corp. Reports 2Q:20 Financial Results
(AES, 6.Aug.2020) — The AES Corporation reported financial results for the quarter ended 30 June 2020. Strategic Accomplishments — During the second quarter, agreed to sell 2.0 GW of capacity, reducing generation from coal by 11 percentage points to 34% of total generation and expect to be below 30% by […]
US Charges Ex-Citgo Exec In Bribery Probe
(Reuters, 6.Aug.2020) — U.S. prosecutors charged a former Citgo Petroleum manager with accepting $2.5 million as part of a scheme to bribe officials with the U.S. refiner and its Venezuelan parent to win business contracts. Jose Luis De Jongh Atencio, 48, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month […]
Guyana’s President Ali Swears In 19 Ministers
(Stabroek News, 6.Aug.2020) — Nineteen ministers were added to the administration of President Irfaan Ali yesterday and among them are some veterans who have served in previous PPP/C’s administrations and also quite a few new faces. There were some notable omissions as well as surprise inclusions when the new individuals […]
AES Corporation’s 2Q:20 Conference Call
(AES, 6.Aug.2020) — The AES Corporation will host a conference call on Thursday, 6 August 2020 at 9 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Interested parties may listen to the teleconference by dialing 1-888-317-6003 at least ten minutes before the start of the call. International callers should dial +1-412-317-6061. The Conference […]
Weatherford 2Q:20 Conference Call Details
(Weatherford, 5.Aug.2020) — Weatherford International plc will host a conference call on Wednesday, 5 August 2020, to discuss the results for the second quarter ending 30 June. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (7:30 a.m. Central Time). Listeners can access the conference call online […]
Petrobras Inks Deal For Onshore Field In Sergipe
(Petrobras, 5.Aug.2020) — Petrobras, following up on the release disclosed on 01/03/2020, signed today with Centro Oeste Óleo e Gás Ltda. an agreement for the sale of its entire stake in the Dó-Ré-Mi onshore field, located in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, in the state of Sergipe. The sale value is $37,600, […]
Bolivian Domestic Gas Connections Near 1 Million
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Aug.2020) — Bolivia’s state oil and gas entity Yacimientos PetrolÃferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) has achieved close to one million domestic gas installations nationwide. The connections are a basic service contributing to improving the quality of life of Bolivian families, YPFB executive president Richard Botello Hiza announced 5 […]
Bolivia To Lose $223mn In Petrobras Deal
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Aug.2020) — Bolivia’s state oil and gas entity Yacimientos Petrolifos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) will cease to receive some $223 million over three years after signing an eighth addendum with its Brazilian counterpart Petrobras. “This year the figures is $58 million, in 2021 it’ll be around $80 million […]