Central & South America

Canacol Nears Construction Phase for $560 Million Colombian Gas Pipeline Project

Colombian gas producer Canacol is on track to begin construction on the Jobo-Medellín natural gas pipeline having received final binding offers from four interested contractors in March.

Equinor, Exxon Expand Brazil Oil Operations, Discuss Building 100-Mile Gas Pipeline

Equinor and Exxon Mobil Corp. have taken the first steps to expand an $8 billion oil development off Brazil's coast and are considering adding a more than 100-mile-long gas pipeline as part of the next phase of the expansion.

Spain's Gas Imports Rise 16% Driven by Seaborne LNG Purchases

Spain's natural gas imports in March rose 16% from a year earlier, driven by more purchases of seaborne LNG, government data showed on Monday.

Deadly Explosion Rocks Hotel in Cuba, Gas Leak Suspected

A deadly explosion hit a well-known hotel in downtown Havana on Friday, tearing a gash several floors high into the side of the building, killing at least eight people and sending another 30 to hospital, witnesses and Cuban state media said.

Argentina Seeking $10 Billion Investment to Jump-Start LNG Exports

Argentina, battling a deep and costly energy deficit, is looking to attract some $10 billion in private investment to help it jump-start exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2027.

Bolivia Gas Deal to Save $769 Million, Replace LNG Imports

Argentina's new deal with Bolivia to up natural gas imports will bring savings of $769 million in foreign-exchange reserves and replace 14 vessels of increasingly expensive LNG.

Argentina Seeks Bolivia Gas Boost as LNG Costs Soar — Sources

The South American country is looking for alternative gas supplies after being hit hard by rising LNG costs linked to the war in Ukraine, which threaten to leave it mired a deep energy trade deficit this year.

Argentine Gas Suppliers Say New Pipeline Will Reverse Deep Energy Deficit

The pipeline is estimated to take 18 months to build with public investment of $1.59 billion and will unlock more domestic capacity from the Vaca Muerta Formation.

ASCO Awarded Logistics Contracts at Waitsia Field

Logistics management company ASCO has been awarded two, five-year contracts with Mitsui E&P Australia for storage and camp management at the company’s Stage 2 Development campaign at the Waitsia gas field project.

Petrobras and EIG Near Deal for Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline

State-run Brazilian oil company Petrobras is close to reaching an agreement to sell to U.S. private equity firm EIG Energy Partners control of a natural gas pipeline that connects Bolivia and southern Brazil.

Argentina Launches Tender to Build New Vaca Muerta Gas Pipeline

Argentina's government launched a tender on Wednesday for the construction of the first stage of a new natural gas pipeline from the Vaca Muerta shale formation.

Peru Oil Spill Affected 40-Square-Mile Area, Repsol Says

An executive of Spain's Repsol said an oil spill offshore Peru's capital Lima affected an area of 40 square miles (106 square km).

Venezuela Oil Spills Caused Grave Damage Over Two Years - Report

Constant oil spills in Venezuela between 2020 and 2021 have caused grave damage to the environment, the country's science academy said on Wednesday.

Guyana May Develop Offshore Oil Prospects on Its Own

Guyana could form a national oil and gas company to oversee its own exploration instead of conducting an offshore drilling auction this year, a government official told international oil executives on Tuesday.

Global News February 2022

EIA Updates Oil Price Forecasts Through 2023, Indian Oil Investing $944 Million on Gas Sales in New Areas, Cruz’s Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Bill Fails to Pass in US Senate and more.

Ecuador's OCP Pipeline Resumes Operation after Rock Fall, Spill

Pumping on Ecuador's private oil pipeline has resumed after repairs to damage caused by falling rocks, operator OCP Ecuador said on Tuesday.

Oil Workers Strike Over Wages in Blow to Argentina's Vaca Muerta

Argentina's largest oil union on Monday began an indefinite strike to press its demand for a wage hike to make up for the loss of purchasing power due to high inflation, a union leader said, a potential blow to activity in the Vaca Muerta shale fields.

Ecuador Pipeline to Take Longer to Restart Due to New Damage

Repairs to an OCP Ecuador pipeline damaged by falling rocks will take more than a week because of new damage sustained in the same area.

Peru Facing Fuel Shortage after Suspending Repsol Operations

Peru is facing a fuel shortage after the government banned Repsol SA from unloading any new oil into a local refinery after a large oil spill last month, its new prime minister said Thursday.

Venezuelan Oil Exports Fall Amid Returned Cargoes

Venezuela's oil exports plummeted in January to the lowest level since September amid loading bottlenecks caused by returned and rescheduled crude cargoes, according to internal documents and tanker tracking data.

Ecuador Oil Spill Affected Protected Area in Amazon, Government Says

A burst pipeline in Ecuador caused an oil spill within a protected area of the country's Amazon rainforest, the environment ministry said, adding that the pipeline operator will face legal consequences.

Pipe Burst Leads Ecuador Pipeline Operator to Suspend Pumping Crude

OCP Ecuador, the operator of Ecuador's privately held heavy crude pipeline, suspended pumping crude as a preventative measure after it ruptured in the Amazon.

Peru Reports Small New Oil Leak During Clean-Up of Prior Spill

Spain's Repsol SA, which was removing remnant crude oil from a pipeline 18 meters (59 feet) under the surface of the sea, said the escaped oil was an expected part of the process and contained.

Global News January 2022

US Oil Pipelines at Half-Capacity, U.S. Natural Gas Production to Increase in 2022, Osaka Gas Plans to Enter India’s City Market, and more.

Venezuela Halts a Free-Fall in its Oil Exports as Output Recovers

Venezuela last year halted the steep drop in oil exports that had crimped state oil firm PDVSA's ability to pay suppliers and sustain output.

Ecuador State-Owned Oil Pipeline Restarts Pumping Operations

Ecuador's state-owned SOTE oil pipeline has restarted pumping after works to address erosion in the country's Amazon region were completed.

Colombia Knocks Out Two Illegal Oil Refineries Belonging to Rebel Army

Colombian security forces neutralized two clandestine refineries in the country's northeast which belonged to the rebel National Liberation Army, the defense ministry said.

Brazilian Courts Suspend Petrobras Natural Gas Price Hikes

Courts in four Brazilian states have suspended a 50% hike in natural gas prices planned by state-run oil company Petrobras, likely kicking off an intense legal battle.

Key Ecuador Crude Oil Pipeline Ruptures While Halted by Erosion

The collapse in the pipeline's tubing did not cause any environmental damage given it was empty following its suspension, the ministry said.

Ecuador Declares Force Majeure for Oil Exports, Output Due to Erosion

Ecuador's government declared force majeure over its oil exports and production contracts after ongoing erosion in its Amazon region forced a halt to pumping on two pipelines.