MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE (By Eni, 2.Oct.2025, Words: 409) — Eni and its partners CNPC, ENH, Kogas, and XRG have reached the final investment decision (FID) to develop the Coral North FLNG project, deepwater offshore Cabo Delgado, north of Mozambique. The signing took place in Maputo today, at the presence of the […]
Tag: CNPC
Private Chinese firm producing oil in Venezuela under rare 20-year pact, source says
SINGAPORE/HOUSTON (By Chen Aizhu and Marianna Parraga, Reuters, 22.Aug 2025, Words: 526) — China Concord Resources Corp has begun developing two Venezuelan oilfields, planning to invest more than $1 billion in a project to produce 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil by end-2026, an executive directly involved in the project said. […]
CNPC and EP Petroecuador ink deal to recondition wells offshore Ecuador in the Amistad field
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (By Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 18.Aug.2025, Words: 305) — EP Petroecuador and the National Petroleum Corporation of China (CNPC) signed a specialized contract for the reconditioning of wells off the coast of Ecuador. Activities will be conducted through the use of the self-lifting platform type jack […]
Petrobras says Búzios field surpasses record level of 900,000 b/d
SALVADOR DE BAHIA, BRAZIL (By Pedro Silva, Energy Analytics Institute, 18.Aug.2025, Words: 430) — The Petrobras-operated Búzios field set a production record and surpassed output of 900,000 barrels per day (b/d) of oil this past weekend. Búzios — located in the pre-salt layer of the Santos basin, about 180kms off the coast of Rio de Janeiro […]
Petrobras finds high-quality oil at Santos Basin exploration well 3-BRSA-1396D-SPS
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (Steve Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 9.May.2025, Words: 238) — Brazil’s Petrobras identified the presence of high-quality oil with no contaminants in an exploratory well in Aram block that targeted the Santos Basin pre-salt. Well 3-BRSA-1396D-SPS is located 248km from the city of Santos-SP, at a water depth […]
Petrobras Finds Hydrocarbons at Santos Basin Pre-salt Exploration Well 4-BRSA-1395-SPS
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (Piero Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 17.Mar.2025) — Petrobras identified the presence of hydrocarbons in the 4-BRSA-1395-SPS exploratory well in the Aram block, an important asset for exploring the pre-salt potential, particularly in the Santos Basin. The well is located 245km from the city of Santos-(São Paulo), at […]
SBM says FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão leaves China for Brazil
BELIZE CITY, BELIZE (Aaron Simonsky, Energy Analytics Institute, 23.Dec.2024, Words: 428) — The floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) Alexandre de Gusmão has left the COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore shipyard in China for Brazil. The vessel will be the eighth SBM Offshore unit to operate in Brazil and is headed […]
Mero 3 FPSO Starts Production in Libra Pre-salt Offshore Brazil
(Energy Analytics Institute, 30.Oct.2024) — Brazil’s state-owned Petrobras announced that on 30 Oct. 2024 the Marechal Duque de Caxias platform ship (Mero 3) has started producing oil and gas in the Mero field located in the Libra Block in the Santos Basin’s pre-salt layer. Nero 3 can produce up to […]
Sepetiba Platform Reaches Top Pre-salt Production
(Petrobras, 28.Aug.2024) — The platform ship Sepetiba, chartered by Petrobras, reached its top production, 180 million oil barrels per day (bpd), in the Mero field, in the Santo Basin’s pre-salt layer, last 27 Aug. 2024. This milestone was reached within the estimated time frame of eight months due to the promptness […]
Petrobras Puts Platform Vessel into Pre-salt Production
(Petrobras, 31.Dec.2023) — Petrobras put into production today the Sepetiba platform vessel, in the Mero field, Libra block, in the pre-salt Santos Basin. This is Mero’s third production system, with the capacity to produce up to 180 thousand barrels of oil a day and compress up to 12 million cubic meters […]
![The lifting of sanctions and the oil collapse of Venezuela [PDF download]](https://energy-analytics-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Venezuela-requests-the-extradition-of-former-PDVSA-president-Rafael-Ramirez.jpg)
The lifting of sanctions and the oil collapse of Venezuela [PDF download]
(Rafael Ramírez, 16.Nov.2023) — On 18 Oct., the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)[1] issued Licenses 43 and 44,[2] lifting the sanctions on the Venezuelan oil and mining sector that had been in place since Jan. 2019. The OFAC measure is of a temporary nature, for a period of six months, subject to compliance […]
QatarEnergy Selects CNPC as NFE Partner
(QatarEnergy, 20.Jun.2023) — QatarEnergy signed definitive agreements with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), covering the long-term supply of LNG to China and partnership in the North Field East LNG expansion project (NFE). The two parties signed an LNG Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the delivery of 4 million tons of LNG […]
KAPSARC and CNPC Affiliate Ink Research and Innovation Deal
(KAPSARC, 6.Dec.2022) — On 6 December 2022, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), a leading Riyadh-based advisory think tank, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Economics & Technology Research Institute (ETRI), a research institute affiliated with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), to foster cross-regional […]
bp Begins Shipping LNG from Mozambique’s First LNG Project
(bp, 14.Nov.2022) — bp has successfully loaded the first LNG cargo from Mozambique’s offshore Coral Sul FLNG facility, the country’s first LNG project and first floating LNG facility ever deployed in the deep waters of the African continent. Under its long-term contract, bp will purchase 100% of LNG output from Coral Sul FLNG which has the […]
Mozambique’s First LNG Cargo Departs from Coral Sul FLNG
(Eni, 13.Nov.2022) — Eni, as Delegated Operator of the Coral South project on behalf of its Area 4 Partners (ExxonMobil, CNPC, GALP, KOGAS and ENH), informs that the first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced from the Coral gas field, in the ultra-deep waters of the Rovuma Basin, has […]
Chinese Firm Takes Over Lifting Venezuelan Oil for Debt Offset
(Reuters, 26.Aug.2022) — China has entrusted a defense-focused state firm to ship millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil despite U.S. sanctions, part of a deal to offset Caracas’ billions of dollars of debt to Beijing, according to three sources and tanker tracking data. China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) stopped carrying Venezuelan oil […]
Coral South Introduces Hydrocarbons to FLNG Offshore Mozambique
(Eni, 18.Jun.2022) — Eni, as Upstream Delegated Operator of Area 4 on behalf of its partners ExxonMobil, CNPC, GALP, KOGAS and ENH, announces that the Coral South Project has safely achieved the introduction of hydrocarbons to the Coral Sul Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) plant from the Coral South reservoir […]
Libra Consortium Starts Production at Mero Field’s FPSO Guanabara
(Shell Brasil, 2.May.2022) — Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda., a subsidiary of Shell plc, announces the start of production of the FPSO Guanabara in the Mero field, offshore Santos Basin in Brazil. The FPSO Guanabara, which while under construction was also known as Mero-1, has an installed capacity of 12 million cubic […]
Wood Mackenzie Foresees Slow Production Recovery in Venezuela
(Energy Analytics Institute, 21.Apr.2022) — Venezuela’s oil production is expected to gradually rise to as much as 1. 3 million barrels per day by 2028, according details revealed by Wood Mackenzie analyst Marcelo De Assis and Elen Simonyan in a recent report. Highlights from the report published on 21 April […]
Venezuela: Nov. Oil Output Rises To 660 Mb/d
(S&P Global Platts, 30.Nov.2021) — Oil production by Venezuela’s state PDVSA and its foreign partners rose to 660,000 b/d in November, up 40,000 b/d from October, Nov. 30 PDVSA production reports reviewed by S&P Global Platts showed. Orinoco Belt output rose to 420,000 b/d, up 40,000 b/d from the 380,000 […]
CNPC prepares to revive Venezuela operations
(Bloomberg, 1.Sep.2021, Words: 597) — China’s top oil producer is laying the groundwork to revive output in Venezuela as President Nicolas Maduro finalizes legislation to attract more international investment. Once a major investor in the OPEC nation, China National Petroleum Corp. is sending engineers and commercial staff there and vetting local companies […]
Venezuela Adjusts As Sanctions Spur Western Oil Partners To Retreat
(Reuters, 1.Jun.2021) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA is turning to local partners as it seeks to plug the gap left by Western companies in the OPEC nation’s oil sector, according to interviews with a half dozen industry sources, as U.S. companies win a reprieve to maintain a limited presence […]
Venezuela Crude Stocks Drop As Exports Pick Up
(Reuters, 26.Jan.2021) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s inventories of its main export crude grade dipped this week to their lowest levels since late November, internal company documents seen by Reuters showed. Merey 16 stocks at the country’s main oil terminal, the Jose port, fell to 4.85 million barrels as […]
China Buys Venezuelan Oil Doctored To Skirt Sanctions
(Bloomberg, 22.Jan.2021) — It may be the oil market’s worst-kept secret: Millions of barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude, embargoed by the U.S., have been surreptitiously going to China. The cat-and-mouse games that avoid detection and sanctions include ship-to-ship transfers, shell companies and silenced satellite signals. But there’s another aspect to […]
Venezuela’s Oil Production Sinks To 300,000 b/d
(Argus, 3.Jul.2020) — Venezuela kicked off July with only around 300,000 b/d of crude production and no oil rigs in operation, according to a series of internal operation reports from state-owned PdV. The production level is the Opec country’s lowest in close to nine decades, with the exception of a […]
End Of Venezuela’s Oil Fortune Looms Over Maduro
(Bloomberg, 20.Jun.2020) — Oil revenue, the financial lifeline of Venezuela, is quickly drying up, adding to the growing instability of Nicolas Maduro’s embattled regime. Crude exports that once accounted for 95 percent of foreign currency inflow to the country tumbled by almost half this month, after hitting a 73-year low […]
Wave Of Venezuelan Oil Stalled At Sea
(Argus, 10.Jun.2020) — Vessel tracking data shows a fleet of 44 international tankers on the water holding 40.5mn bl of Venezuelan oil as shipowners face growing risk of US sanctions for transporting cargoes to and from the country. The tankers, which include 13 very large crude carriers (VLCCs), 12 Suezmaxes, […]
Venezuela Brushing Aside Oil Price Signals For Now
(Argus, 2.Apr.2020) — Venezuela’s crude production partially recovered to around 700,000 b/d at the end of March, but state-owned PdV and its foreign partners cannot afford to dismiss weaker price signals for much longer, according to industry officials inside and outside Venezuela. Output had slid to about 500,000 b/d in […]
Venezuela’s Oil Output Falls To Five-month Low
(Reuters, 30.Mar.2020) — Venezuela’s crude production ended last week at around 670,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to documents seen by Reuters and two people with access to output data, the lowest level in five months amid U.S. sanctions and falling global demand. The Orinoco oil belt, Venezuela’s largest producing […]
Venezuela Cause Drifting Off International Agenda
(Argus, 10.Mar.2020) — Venezuela’s US-backed opposition is scrambling to stay relevant at home and abroad as the US and other foreign patrons turn inward to focus on slowing the spread of coronavirus and mitigating the economic fallout of an oil price collapse. In a bid to reinvigorate his movement, Juan […]
Is 2020 The Year For Regime Change In Venezuela?
(FT, 7.Mar.2020) — There have been enough false dawns in Venezuela to deter any confident predictions but a series of developments — all energy related — suggest that 2020 could be the year when regime change might actually occur and the country could begin to resume its role at the […]
Latest Rosneft Sanctions Raise Risks For Others
(Reuters, 19.Feb.2020) — Washington’s move this week to sanction a trading unit of Russian oil giant Rosneft for its ties with Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA escalated threats facing non-U.S. firms and will likely spur “overcompliance” by companies, analysts and industry sources said. The U.S. government on Tuesday blacklisted Rosneft Trading, SA, […]
Venezuela Weighs Privatizing Oil
(Bloomberg, 27.Jan.2020) — Facing economic collapse and painful sanctions, the socialist government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has proposed giving majority shares and control of its oil industry to big international corporations, a move that would forsake decades of state monopoly. Maduro’s representatives have held talks with Russia’s Rosneft PJSC, […]
Oil Is The Only Way Back Up For Venezuela
(Oilprice.com, 19.Jan.2020) — There’s only one path to rebuilding Venezuela, and it’s paved with oil. For the time being, that path leads nowhere. The key to controlling everything now lies with the National Assembly, the only body with the power to hand out oil licenses—and Maduro’s recent scheme to retake […]
China Scaling Back Economic Support For Maduro: Envoy
(Reuters, 15.Jan.2020) — The Trump administration’s envoy on Venezuela said China appears to be scaling back economic support for President Nicolas Maduro, and Beijing acknowledged a diminishing role largely due to U.S. sanctions against the OPEC nation. As China’s economic activities have declined, Maduro and his socialist government are becoming […]
Abrams Sees China Scaling Back Support For Maduro
(Reuters, 15.Jan.2020) — The Trump administration’s envoy on Venezuela said China appears to be scaling back economic support for President Nicolas Maduro, and Beijing acknowledged a diminishing role largely due to U.S. sanctions against the OPEC nation. As China’s economic activities have declined, Maduro and his socialist government are becoming […]
PDVSA’s Partners As Oil Traders Amid Sanctions
(Reuters, 13.Jan.2020) — Venezuela, its oil exports decimated by U.S. sanctions, is testing a new method of getting its crude to market: allocating cargoes to joint-venture partners including Chevron Corp, which in turn market the oil to customers in Asia and Africa. This would not violate sanctions as long as […]
Maduro Seeks Oil Contract Changes: Lawmakers
(Reuters, 8.Jan.2020) — Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party hopes legislators it recently declared to be in charge of congress will approve changes to ownership of some crucial state oil assets, five opposition lawmakers said on Wednesday. Pro-government legislators on Sunday declared little-known politician Luis Parra as the head of congress after […]
Venezuelan Oil Exports Fell By A Third In 2019
(Reuters, 7.Jan.2020) — Venezuela’s oil exports plummeted 32% last year to 1.001 million barrels per day, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and state-run PDVSA’s reports, as a lack of staff and capital drove output to its lowest level in almost 75 years and U.S. sanctions shrank exports markets. The drop […]
PDVSA Cedes Oilfield Operations To Foreign Firms
(Reuters, 3.Jan.2020) — Venezuelan state company PDVSA is letting some joint venture partners take over the day-to-day operation of oilfields as its own capacity dwindles due to sanctions and a lack of cash and staff, according to a former oil minister, an opposition lawmaker and industry sources. Crude production by […]
US Cuts Venezuelan Flows Plans For China, Rosneft
(S&P Global Platts, 24.Dec.2019) — US sanctions on PDVSA shut down roughly 500,000 b/d of crude flows from Venezuela to Gulf Coast refineries within a matter of weeks after being imposed in January, and helped cut the South American nation’s oil production roughly in half before the end of the […]
Maduro Govt Eyes Turning Point
(Argus, 20.Dec.2019) — PdV is leaning on joint-venture partners as it looks to continue a nascent crude output revival and live up to an improved economic outlook for 2020 The US sanctions-hit government of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro aims to turn a corner in its struggle to maintain power, as […]
Petrobras Seeks Alternatives For Comperj
(Petrobras, 18.Dec.2019) — Petrobras has completed the economic feasibility study regarding the completion of the Comperj refinery construction, together with the Chinese company CNPC and its affiliates, under the agreements to implement the strategic partnership, as disclosed to the market on October 16, 2018. The study showed that the completion […]
PDVSA, Partners Produce 500,000 b/d Of Orinoco Crude
(S&P Global Platts, 17.Dec.2019) — Production levels by Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA and its international partners in the Orinoco Belt rose to 500,000 b/d, or 38.5% of its 1.3 million b/d maximum capacity, up from 435,000 b/d November 4, according to a technical report S&P Global Platts saw Tuesday. Highlights: — […]
Quality Testing Guyana’s First 3 MMbbls
(Demerara Waves, Denis Chabrol, 16.Dec.2019) — The Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Energy denied breaching the procurement process for sale of Guyana’s first three million barrels of oil aimed at what officials say is the removal of impurities and setting of standard for Guyana to get the best price […]
Venezuela Oil Output Rises
(Reuters, 10.Dec.2019) — Venezuela’s crude output in November jumped more than 20% from the prior month to the highest level since the United States tightened sanctions on state oil company PDVSA in August, two people with knowledge of PDVSA data said this week. November output averaged between 926,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) […]
Venezuela Gov’t, Opposition Weigh Giving Firms Operating Rights
(Reuters, Luc Cohen, Deisy Buitrago, Mayela Armas, 6.Dec.2019) — Venezuela’s government and opposition have discussed allowing private companies in joint ventures with state oil company PDVSA to operate oil fields themselves, reversing a longstanding requirement that PDVSA control such operations, three people familiar with the talks said. While a similar […]
Brazil’s Pre-salt Encore Flops
(Argus, 7.Nov.2019) — Brazil’s pre-salt auction today mirrored the lackluster results from yesterday’s much-hyped Transfer of Rights offer, raising questions about bonus pricing, the appeal of the country’s production-sharing terms and state-controlled Petrobras’ first-right mandate. Petrobras teamed up with a Chinese partner to take just one of the five exploration […]
Brazil Oil Auction A ‘Total Disaster’
(Bloomberg, Sabrina Valle, Peter Millard, and Luiza Ferraz, 6.Nov.2019) — Brazil’s largest-ever auction of oil deposits flopped, sending the real tumbling, after state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA did most of the bidding while other major oil companies stayed away. Petrobras, as the company is known, joined with China’s Cnooc Ltd. and […]
Petrobras Takes Prize In Brazil’s TOR Round
(WoodMac, 6.Nov.2019) — Brazil’s largest-ever auction of oil licences – the Transfer of Rights round – saw state-controlled Petrobras walk away with the biggest prizes, the Búzios and Itapu blocks. Luiz Hayum, from Wood Mackenzie’s Latin America upstream research team, said: “As we anticipated, Búzios and Itapu were the stars […]