Energy & Oil

• Friday, May 8th 2009 - 10:22 UTC

  Chavez to begin taking over oil industry contractors

  

  State owned Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. PDVSA, will begin Friday taking over control of some oil-field services currently being provided by private firms, President Hugo Chávez said.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 13:03 UTC

  Drought forces Brazil to increase gas imports from Bolivia

  

  Brazil will increase the amount of natural gas it imports from Bolivia later this month to bring on stream several thermoelectric power plants that had been inactive, Brazilian government managed energy company Petrobras said.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 12:44 UTC

  Lula da Silva wants more “clean” energy but also “more crude”

  

  Brazilian President Lula da Silva said that while his government will continue promoting the use of “clean” energy sources such as ethanol and bio-diesel, he wants government managed oil company Petrobras to press ahead in the search for additional crude.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 10:22 UTC

  Brazil promises “fair and viable” solution for Itaipu differences with Paraguay

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva and the ministerial cabinet will consider Wednesday a “fair and viable” solution to differences with Paraguay regarding the energy from the world’s largest operational hydroelectric dam, Itaipú, announced in Brasilia Foreign Affairs minister Celso Amorim.

• Monday, May 4th 2009 - 07:55 UTC

  Six companies present offers for potential natural gas deposits in Uruguay

  

  Six foreign companies have presented offers to explore a natural gas deposit off Uruguay's Atlantic coast, announced Uruguay’s government owned oil company Ancap, Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcohol y Portland

• Saturday, May 2nd 2009 - 09:45 UTC

  Brazil launches project to become leading oil super-power

  

  Brazil government managed energy company Petrobras on Friday lifted the first sub-salt oil from the massive, ultra-deep, offshore Tupi field in the Santos basin, an action Brazil's government hopes will launch a new era for Latin America's largest economy.

• Saturday, May 2nd 2009 - 09:39 UTC

  “Itaipú proposal” waits President Lugo when he visits Brazil

  

  Brazil could anticipate payments to Paraguay for the energy from the shared huge Itaipu dam, which should help the Treasury of the weakened President Fernando Lugo. However Brazil would also like to see an end to Paraguay’s intention of modifying the Itaipu dam accord, according to the Brazilian press quoting government sources.

• Friday, May 1st 2009 - 12:53 UTC

  Brazil’s pre-salt basin oil extraction becomes commercial operation

  

  Petrobras, Brazil’s state-managed oil company will begin Friday to extract oil from the off-shore pre-salt Tupi field and is “very secure” about production expectations, said Guilherme Estrella, head of exploration and production.

• Thursday, April 30th 2009 - 12:19 UTC

  Chilean energy company confirms coal mining in Magallanes

  

  Roberto Angelini, president of the Chilean industrial Angelini conglomerate which owns petroleum distribution company COPEC, announced plans for COPEC's expansion in 2009, worth 678 million US dollars, despite the financial crisis

• Wednesday, April 29th 2009 - 11:28 UTC

  Argentina’s energy sector under “persistent productive decadence”

  

  Since 2005 Argentina has consumed 25% of its natural gas reserves, 15% of oil reserves and the Mar Argentino (South Atlantic) which has “great possibilities remains virtually untouched”, reads a critical report on the outlook for the Argentine energy sector compiled by eight former Energy Secretaries from different governments.