
Desire Petroleum plc announces that on 3 June 2007, Wavefield InSeis ASA commenced a contract to acquire high resolution 2D shallow-seismic data, at a number of potential drilling sites, on its licences in the North Falkland Basin, using the seismic vessel Bergen Surveyor. This vessel has just finished work for Falklands Oil and Gas Limited on their licences to the south of the Falkland Islands.

Rockhopper Exploration plc (Rockhopper) (AIM:RKH) is pleased to announce that it has appointed RPS Energy (RPS) to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) over licences PL023 and PL024. The EIA will be conducted in parallel with Desire Petroleum's EIA over licences PL006 and PL007, resulting in cost savings for both companies.
Spanish-Argentine oil company Repsol YPF SA admitted Monday that it's looking to divest a stake of around 45% of its Argentine unit YPF which it purchased in 1999 for the sum of 15 billion US dollars when Argentina was ruled by President Carlos Menem.

The cold spell that gripped Argentina since early this week has left 31 dead, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.

The Thirty-Seventh Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) will open in Panama City, Panama, next Sunday, June 3, with a focus on Energy for Sustainable Development, in recognition of the fundamental importance of energy resources for the future of the nations of the region.

Next week Chile will officially invite international corporations to participate in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the Magallanes Region. Chilean Minister of Mines Karen Pniachik will be in Punta Arenas for the opening ceremony.
Argentina resumed shipments of crucial natural gas to Chile's populous central region yesterday, Chilean energy officials said, easing fears that an acute energy shortage could worsen.

Private car owners and taxi drivers waited patiently in long queues early Wednesday morning in Buenos Aires, hoping to load their fuel tanks although most compressed natural gas CNG stations remained closed or working with an only pump.

Uruguay's government owned oil corporation Ancap signed this week a contract with Norway's Wavefield Inseis ASA for the seismic surveying of the country's continental shelf including deep and very deep waters.
Chile is looking to acquire Uruguay's unused natural gas permits with Argentina in order to secure a steady supply of gas for Santiago. This proposal comes on the heels of an intensifying energy crisis, with the country's capital city facing possible residential and commercial gas cuts.