Energy & Oil

• Wednesday, February 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile announces plans to research nuclear energy

  

  Energy Minister Karen Poniachik announced Tuesday that her ministry would begin technical studies into the potential use of nuclear energy in Chile. Facing criticism from both the governing Concertación coalition and opposition Alliance for delays in the government-mandated studies, Poniachik said the ministry would present a plan to assess the implementation of nuclear energy in March.

• Wednesday, February 28th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuela takes control of foreign oil projects

  President Hugo Chavez's announced takeover of Venezuela's most promising oil-producing operations will likely increase strain on the country's heavily burdened state-run oil company and pressure production at the world's eighth-largest oil exporter.

• Tuesday, February 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Repsol looking for another shareholder for the YPF branch

  

  Repsol YPF chairman Antoni Brufau on announcing Tuesday the discovery in Libya of its largest ever oil field and lower profits in 2006, admitted that the company was looking for another shareholder for its Argentine branch YPF.

• Tuesday, February 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine strikers cut gas supply to south Chile methanol plant

  

  Canadian company Methanex plant in Chile's southern region of Magallanes has seen natural gas supply fall 10% following an indefinite strike from oil and gas workers union in neighboring Argentina. Methanex is the world's leading producer or methanol.

• Monday, February 26th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Russia's gas giant and Petrobras sign cooperation accord

  

  Gazprom and Brazilian oil company Petrobras have signed last week an agreement on hydrocarbon cooperation, the Russian energy giant revealed in a news release Monday.

• Wednesday, February 21st 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina joins the Orinoco heavy oil industry

  

  Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Argentina's Nestor Kirchner inaugurated Wednesday the first well in the heavy-crude Orinoco strip to be operated by Argentine companies.

• Tuesday, February 20th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Respsol-YPF plans seismic surveying in Malvinas basin

  

  The Spanish oil consortium Respsol-YPF in planning to undertake seismic surveying in the Malvinas basin in 2008, and could invite Argentina's new government owned oil company Enarsa to participate in the operation

• Sunday, February 18th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  ENAP drills for natural gas in continental Magallanes

  Chile's oil corporation ENAP began drilling for natural gas last February 15 in continental Magallanes Region in an area identified as Dorado-Riquelme to the north east of Punta Arenas.

• Friday, February 16th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Oil threat ups security

  

  Venezuela will reinforce security measures after a branch of al Qaeda called for attacks on suppliers of oil to the United States, the defence minister said on yesterday.

• Thursday, February 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil-Bolivia agree higher gas price for supply security

  Brazil will pay about 11% more for natural gas from Bolivia under a deal presidents Lula da Silva and Evo Morales signed Thursday in Brazil and that could resolve a year of tense relations between the South American nations.