Uruguay's oil and energy Ancap must pay US $ 10 million to fuel distributors Petrobras and Axion after losing a 2017 lawsuit filed when the plaintiffs saw their profit margins narrowed by local regulations, the Montevideo El Observador newspaper reported.
As the Uruguayan state has vowed to take over the administration of departing Montevideo cooking gas suppliers Montevideo Gas and Conecta and jobs have been secured, the UOEGAS workers' union has agreed to end the strike, starting this Friday.
Uruguay's government knows nothing about a lawsuit from a US investment fund for the bankruptcy of the flag airline PLUNA, Transport Minister Víctor Rossi explained Wednesday.
New Year has taken off in Uruguay with a raft of utilities' rates increases which includes power, fuels, drinking water, telecommunications, urban bus fares, plus extra taxes on tobacco and gambling. Inflation in the twelve months to November was 6.30%.
The Uruguayan government announced on Friday the presence of hydrocarbons in the north west of the country, in the framework of exploratory drilling by US based Schuepbach Energy. The discovery took place in the county of Paysandu, some 400kms north of the capital Montevideo.
The lorry drivers' strike already under way in Uruguay, which broke up as a conflict between freight carriers and the agriculture sectors, may have its impact on the distribution of car petrol, warns Mauro Borzzaconi of the trucking association.
Losses increase from US $ 9 million by mid year to US $ 14 million in September due to contraction of domestic demand, the fall in international prices and the percentage of ethanol cut in gasolines.Carboclor, ANCAP's subsidiary in Argentina, shows no sign of recovery in its most recent balancesheet as production fell below normal levels caused by financial shortcomings which in turn led to a decrease in the inflow of raw materials to the refinery in Campana in the province of Buenos Aires. Shutting down the plant for 25 days is being considered as a partial solution.
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.
Maersk Drilling has been awarded a contract for the drillship Maersk Venturer with oil major France's Total. The contract covers one exploration well (estimated duration 120 days) in block 14 offshore Uruguay.
Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced on Wednesday that the company has reached a basic agreement with Gas Sayago, a joint venture between Uruguay’s state oil company ANCAP and state power company UTE, to continue the floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) project led by Gas Sayago and being built in Montevideo.