Energy & Oil

• Friday, April 1st 2016 - 06:07 UTC

  Total/Exxon/Mobil drilling offshore Uruguay a record-deep well; first since 1976

  

  A consortium led by France's Total and U.S.-based super major ExxonMobil Corp started this week drilling for oil off Uruguay, Industry, Energy and Mining Minister Carolina Cosse announced. Uruguay is totally reliant on imports for its oil and has for decades tried to discover possible hydrocarbons resources both in the continent and offshore.

• Wednesday, March 30th 2016 - 08:00 UTC

  Argentina wins a first round at the WTO over a biodiesel controversy with the EU

  

  The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled on Tuesday in favor of Argentina in a series of complaints the country filed with the international body, challenging punitive duties by the European Union on its biodiesel imports. The WTO, however, said the EU was not violating its rules.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2016 - 06:25 UTC

  Petrobras losses in 4Q climb to US$ 10bn; more staff cuts expected

  

  Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras, reported a record quarterly loss of $10.2 billion on Monday due to a large reduction in the value of some assets amid lower oil prices. Petrobras has been at the center of a sprawling corruption scandal that has ensnared some of Brazil's most powerful lawmakers and business executives.

• Thursday, March 17th 2016 - 06:01 UTC

  Falklands' oil industry making steady advance 'with positive signs from Argentina', says GlobalData

  

  Falkland Islands' oil and gas industry is making steady advancement in spite of global concerns about falling prices, according to new analysis by GlobalData. With positive signs coming from the neighboring Argentina, which recently witnessed a change in government, the Falklands is preparing to commercialize production of its first oil project, Premier Oil's Sea Lion.

• Sunday, March 13th 2016 - 22:40 UTC

  Oil at US$ 67 in Argentina has all the Majors converging

  

  By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com
  
  Argentina offers one of the few places on earth where oil companies are not suffering from the full force of the collapse in prices. Argentina regulates oil prices, a policy originally intended to insulate the public from the whims of the market, protecting people from triple-digit crude prices. But with the crash in prices since mid-2014, the effect of the regulation has reversed: motorists are now effectively subsidizing the oil industry.

• Saturday, March 12th 2016 - 07:21 UTC

  France's Total ready to begin drilling offshore Uruguay: risky project but it could be AN ”elephant''

  

  France’s Total SA announced it is preparing to begin drilling one of its most important offshore exploration wells in the Americas this year as it hunts for a giant oil field in Uruguayan waters. A discovery could extend an exploration boom in a country that currently imports all of its oil and gas needs.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 20:47 UTC

  Odebrecht's involvement in Petrobras corruption scandal costing the conglomerate dearly

  

  The Odebrecht group of companies, whose top officials have been sentenced to prison for involvement in the corruption scheme of Brazil's largest company Petrobras, has come under strong pressure from its creditors to use the crown jewel, the petrochemical company Braskem as collateral to avoid filing for bankruptcy.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 20:06 UTC

  Brazil's February inflation down, but central bank calls for structural reforms and budget control

  

  Brazil’s consumer-price index slowed in February, providing relief for the country’s central bank amid its efforts to curb inflationary pressures. The consumer-price index, IPCA, rose 0.90% in February, compared with an increase of 1.27% in January, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, or IBGE, said.

• Friday, March 11th 2016 - 05:22 UTC

  Purge in YPF; financial expert chosen as successor of Galuccio

  

  Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez looks is to become the new president of Argentina’s state-controlled energy giant YPF, it was revealed this week after Miguel Galuccio confirmed he will step down as head of the company on April 30.

• Thursday, March 10th 2016 - 05:49 UTC

  CEO Galuccio confirms he's leaving YPF and pledges “ordered transition”

  

  Miguel Galuccio confirmed he will be resigning as Argentina's YPF CEO and said he will guarantee an “ordered transition” ahead of the appointment of his successor. In a statement released on Wednesday, Galuccio said he will remain in his position until the upcoming Ordinary Shareholders Assembly takes place. He is expected to leave the state-run company after April 30.