Brazil’s Petrobras on Tuesday revealed plans to sell its stake in an African oil exploration venture as part of a wider divestment plan. The state managed oil company is looking to sell its 50% stake in Petrobras Oil & Gas BV, or Petrobras Africa.
Argentina's state-controlled energy company YPF has unveiled a US$ 30bn five-year investment plan to boost oil production and sharpen its focus on electric power generation. Some US$21.5bn will come from YPF's own coffers, with the remainder to be sourced from its project partners, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
Brazil's federal audit court ordered a freeze of former President Dilma Rousseff's assets as well as those of José Sérgio Gabrielli, ex-head of state-run oil company Petrobras, over a US$580 million loss in the 2006 purchase of a Texas refinery.
A senior official in Brazil said there are no current plans to privatize the national oil company to deal with its massive debt, according to a new report by Reuters. Fernando Coelho Filho, the minister of mines and energy, had suggested that Petrobras could face such a sale in the future, but did not provide a concrete timeline.
Petrobras raised US$2 billion from the sale of seven- and 10-year securities, replacing more expensive shorter-dated bonds as it seeks to trim a debt burden that is the largest among major oil firms. Petrobras sold US$1 billion each worth of senior unsecured bonds due in 2025 and 2028, respectively. Market experts said Petrobras sold the January 2025 bond at a yield of 5.3%, and the January 2028 bond at 6%.
Brazil's Petrobras has reduced prices for the gasoline it sells in Brazil to below parity with the fuel imported from the United States, reducing profit margins to regain market share. The company has sharply reduced the price gap between the value of gasoline sold at its refineries and the spot price in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico since early July, when it announced changes to its pricing to adopt almost daily adjustments, according to fuel market experts.
Petrobras announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to exploit energy resources in Brazil and abroad. In the statement, Petrobras said that the deal will allow the two state oil companies to benefit from each other's capacity and experience in oil and gas production.
Petrobras should cut the maximum amount of natural gas it buys from neighboring Bolivia in half in an effort to encourage domestic importers and distributors to enter the market, according to a Brazilian government study.
Netherlands Fugro has been awarded a further two-year contract by Petrobras to provide comprehensive inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) and pipeline inspection services in Brazil.
Brazilian markets plummeted on Thursday as allegations that President Michel Temer condoned bribes to silence a key witness deflated investor optimism about the prospects for his ambitious pension and labor reform agenda.