Methane Fears Cloud Argentina’s Shale Oil And Gas Future

(Financial Times, Benedict Mander, 23.Sep.2018) — Green energy groups say huge shale oil and gas reserve is leaking greenhouse gases. Jorge Daniel Taillant used a $100,000 infrared camera this year to investigate whether oil and gas installations in Vaca Muerta were leaking toxic gases. The grainy black-and-white thermal images that […]

OOS Drillship to Support Pemex Campaign

(Offshore, 4.Sep.2018) — OOS Energy has won its first drilling contract offshore Mexico. The OOS Tiger 1 drillship will support Marinsa & PPS (Pemex Drilling) for a 15-month program. The vessel, built at Shanghai Shipyard in China, is a moored drillship capable of working in water depths up to 5,000 […]

Guyana Oil Find Quadruples FDI Flows

(Jamaica Gleaner, CMC, 8.Aug.2018) – Regional commission ECLAC is reporting that foreign direct investments, FDI, in Guyana increased to US$212 million last year in part as a result of the oil and gas sector preparing for First Oil. The flows nearly quadrupled relative to 2016 when foreign investments in the […]

Petrobras Targets China with New Crude Oil

(Reuters, Florence Tan and Alexandra Alper, 27.Jul.2018) – Brazil’s state-controlled energy company Petrobras plans to push more crude oil to top importer China by marketing a new medium-sweet grade that could be shipped from October, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Petrobras expects to start pumping pre-salt oil […]

Petrobras, CNPC to Finish Rio Refinery

(Efe, 4.Jul.2018) – Brazilian state oil company Petrobras and China’s state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation signed a letter of intent to conclude construction of a refinery in Rio de Janeiro, the South American company said. Work on the refinery, known as the Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (Comperj), has been […]

China Throws Venezuela’s Oil Industry $5B Lifeline

(OilPrice.com, Irina Slav) – China’s Development Bank has approved a US$5-billion loan for Venezuela’s oil industry, Bloomberg reports, quoting the troubled South American country’s Finance Minister Simon Zerpa. “We’ve received the authorization for a direct investment of more than $250 million from China Development Bank to increase PDVSA production, and […]

Sterlite, State Grid Win Brazil Power Licenses

(Reuters, 29.Jun.2018) – India’s Sterlite, China’s State Grid, and Colombia’s Isa clinched licenses to build power transmission lines in Brazil in a government auction on Thursday that is expected to draw a total of 6 billion reais ($1.55 billion) in investment. Some 47 companies and consortia registered to present bids […]

PDVSA Completes First Ship-to-Ship Transfer

(Kallanish Energy, 11.Jun.2018) — Venezuela’s PDVSA has reportedly completed its first ship-to-ship (STS) transfer last week, in a move to tackle the severe bottleneck of tankers around its main crude ports. Reuters reported the inaugural operation was with the Suezmax tanker Sonagol Kalandula for a Thai company’s refinery in Kemaman, […]

China Looks to Invest $10 Billion in Peru Over 3 Years

(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 1.Jun.2018) — China plans investments of $10 billion across various sectors in Peru over the next three years. The Asian giant is planning to focus investments on sectors including energy, mines, telecommunications, construction and finance, reported the daily newspaper El Comercio, citing China’s Ambassador to […]

Mexican Drillers Sign 1st Deal Without State Oil Giant

(Bloomberg, Amy Stillman, 22.May.‎2018‎) – Two upstart Mexican drillers have signed the first farm-out deal in Mexico’s oil sector that doesn’t include state company Petroleos Mexicanos. Jaguar Exploracion y Produccion agreed to sell a 50 percent stake of three onshore areas in Tabasco and Veracruz to Vista Oil & Gas […]

PDVSA’s Barinas Plant Ready in June 2017

(Energy Analytics Institute, Aaron Simonsky, 13.May.2017) – PDVSA announced construction of a 100-MW electric generation plant located in Barinas state had reached the 98% mark in terms of completion. Work on the plant is estimate for completion this June 2017, PDVSA announced in an official statement. New infrastructure at the […]

Venezuela, China Sign 8 Oil Deals

(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 17.Feb.2017) – Venezuela signed 22 agreements with China, including eight (8) related to heavy and extra heavy oil ventures in the OPEC-member country, with an estimated value of $2.7 billion, announced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a signing ceremony in Caracas. ***

Venezuela, China Hold High Level Commission

(PDVSA, 13.Feb.2017) – The 15th China-Venezuela High Level Joint Commission took place at the José Félix Ribas Hall of Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas, with the aim of discussing the progress of the Economic Agenda for Binational Cooperation and continue strengthening relations between the two nations throughout the year. The […]

Venezuela Signs Eight Agreements with China

(PDVSA, 13.Feb.2017) – PDVSA ratified its cooperation with the People’s Republic of China with the signing of eight agreements at the 15th China-Venezuela High Level Joint Commission, which was held at the José Félix Ribas Hall of the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas. The event was headed by Venezuela’s President […]

Petro San Félix Cos Study Swapping Coke

(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 16.May.2016) — A number of international and national coke processing companies visited the Petro San Félix solids terminal located in the José Antonio Anzoátegui Industrial Complex (CIJAA by its Spanish acronym) with the intention to study the potential to swap green coke for calcined coke. […]

Petrobras Signs Credit with China Exim Bank

(Petrobras, 9.May.2016) – Petrobras signed a term sheet with China Exim Bank (Export-Import Bank of China) containing the main terms and conditions for a $1 billion loan. The final loan agreement is already being negotiated, anticipating the funding planned for 2017. The agreement is related to supply contracts for equipment […]

LatAmNRG: Heard on the Street 3Q:15

(Energy Analytics Institute, 30.Sep.2015) – Information in this section, provided by Energy Analytics Institute editors and reporters, is hearsay and thus should be treated as such. The names of our many sources have been withheld to protect their identities and family members in Venezuela. REGARDING VENEZUELA * China could ask […]

Pemex to Supply Isthmus Crude to Japan

(Pemex, 24Jul.2015) – Pemex, through P.M.I. Comercio Internacional (PMI), and the largest refining company in Japan, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, agreed to ship 6 MMbbls of Isthmus crude oil through 6 cargoes beginning in Aug.2015 and until Jan.2016, from the Salina Cruz maritime terminal located in the state […]

Petrobras Signs $5 Bln Deal with CDB

(Petrobras, 20.May.2015) – On 19.May.2015, Petrobras signed a cooperation agreement with the China Development Bank (CDB) for the years 2015-2016. The deal encompasses funding of $3.5 billion already disbursed, as announced on 1.Apr.2015, and an additional disbursement of $1.5 billion, adding up to $5 billion in 2015. The agreement was […]

Petrobras Libra Consortium 2nd Extension Well

(Petrobras, 24.Mar.2015) – The Libra consortium has finished drilling extension well 3-BRSA-1267-RJS/3-BRSA-1267A-RJS (3-RJS-735/735A). The drilling results confirmed the presence of a hydrocarbon column approximately 200 meters deep in reservoirs with good permeability and porosity characteristics. Informally known as C1, the well is located in the central part of the Libra […]

PDVSA Incorporates New Tankers into Fleet

(Energy Analytics Institute, Ian Silverman, 25.Oct.2013) – PDVSA President Rafael Ramirez speaks to reporters in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela about introduction of news tankers into fleet. Highlights of the discussion follow: PDVSA incorporates VLCC Ayacucho and Suezmax Rio Arauca tankers, both built in China, into its fleet. The new PDVSA […]

Rafael Ramirez Speech in Caracas

(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 7.Oct.2013) – PDVSA President Rafael Ramirez spoke with journalist in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. What follows are excerpts from the discussion. Rafael Ramirez regarding shipments to China: Ramirez: We are currently exporting 640,000 b/d to China and 430,000 b/d to India. We are supplying oil […]

Speech by Rafael Ramirez from Puerto Ordaz

(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 27.Jul.2013) – PDVSA’s and Venezuela’s Oil Minister President Rafael Ramirez spoke at the closing of the Sixth National Production Meetings in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. What follows are excerpts from the speech. Speech by Rafael Ramirez on Venezuelan petroleum sector: Ramirez: At the closing event for […]

Q&A with Fitch’s Lucas Aristizabal

(Energy Analytics Institute, Pietro D. Pitts, 19.Jul.2013) – Fitch’s Latin America Corporates Group Director Lucas Aristizabal spoke with Energy Analytics Institute in a brief interview from New York City, New York. What follows are excerpts from the brief interview. Regarding PDVSA’s strategy to focus more attention on China: EAI: PDVSA […]

Sinovensa Signs $4 Bln Financing Agreement

(Energy Analytics Institute, Ian Silverman, 12.Jul.2013) – Sinovensa President Erwin Hernandez and China’s Development Bank Vice President Wang Yongshen signed a financing agreement in Beijing for $4 million for the expansion of production at the company which is comprised of PDVSA and China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC). ***