
The Uruguayan Government of President Yamandú Orsi has greenlighted the so-called seismic exploration for oil in the country's territorial waters to the companies APA, PGS, CGG, and Searcher. The decision spurred controversies among environmentalist groups.

Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras announced this week the discovery of an oil reservoir in the Campos Basin, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. As per initial assessments, the oil found is of excellent quality.

Paraguay and Argentina officially restarted construction Thursday on the Aña Cuá arm of the Yacyretá-Apipe hydroelectric dam, ending a two-year paralysis caused by financial disputes.

British billionaire Joe Lewis, who has significant business interests in Argentine Patagonia and other parts of South America, has been granted an official pardon by US President Donald Trump, it was confirmed Thursday. The measure came after Lewis, 88, pleaded guilty last year in New York to insider trading charges. He was subsequently sentenced to pay a US$5 million fine and serve three years of probation.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) approved the partnership between Chile's state-owned copper company Codelco and private miner SQM to develop lithium resources in the Salar de Atacama, prompting Chile's Mining Minister Aurora Williams to hail the decision as “good news.”

Armin Dorgathen Tapia has submitted his irrevocable resignation as Executive President of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), the state-owned oil company, effective Friday. His departure comes amidst growing controversy surrounding the Botrading case and just hours before the inauguration of President-elect Rodrigo Paz.

Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras achieved an average production of oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas of 3.14 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the third quarter of 2025, or 7.6% more than in the second quarter of this year and 16.9% higher than in the third quarter of 2024.

Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora enacted the so-called Short Law on Monday to tackle fuel shortages and guarantee the supply of diesel and gasoline. The legislation, which originated with the Pro Santa Cruz Committee and was passed by the Legislative Assembly last week, offers an alternative solution to the recurring fuel scarcity.

Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, has received a license from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) to begin exploratory oil drilling on the Equatorial Margin of the Amazon, an area with high hydrocarbon potential, it was announced on Monday.

When oil prices in the international market are sliding faster than expected, already in the range of US$ 50 the barrel, the International Energy Agency, IEA in its latest report anticipated that because of soaring “supply and subdued demand”, oil oversupply will be larger than expected, both in 2025 and 2026. IEA warns that while demand growth is down, supply growth will lead to a record supply overhang, since oil stocks are already soaring, mainly that stockpiled in tankers in water.