South America: Brazil leads the way in offshore drilling

Journal Article · Fri Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1975 · World Oil; (United States)

OSTI ID:7157362

Brazil has found more than 600 million barrels of oil in the Campos basin and made other strikes to the north, offshore Sergipe, Alagoas, and Rio Grande do Norte states. Argentina's government recently gave the state oil company (YPF) permission to prospect in the Falkland Islands area about 200 miles east of Argentina's southern tip. YPF also is expected to accelerate work offshore Tierra del Fuego next year. The nationalization of petroleum in Venezuela is discussed. Drilling activity has slowed to 67 percent of the level of 1974. The goal for 1975 is about 875 million barrels. Chile has revised its oil law to permit foreign companies to explore, develop and produce the country's resources via contracts. Despite spotty successes, Peru has not given up on the northeastern jungle area, just south of Ecuador's fields. Occidental Petroleum and Petroperu have been the only companies to find commercial oil in the four-year exploration period. Their reserves are put at 464 million barrels. Eighteen foreign companies signed 14 contracts covering more than 50,000 square miles in Bolivia since the country asked for outside help in 1972. Ecuador's output reached an all-time high of 244,000 bpd and then slowed down to a 27,000 bpd dribble when the Trans-Ecuador pipeline broke. The government decreed that production from the Texaco and Gulf fields in the Oriente must rise to 210,000 bopd and that the two companies must drill their unexplored and undeveloped acreage or lose it. Ecuador cut 43 cents from the price of oil by reducing the production tax. Colombia abolished all oil concessions this year in an attempt to stem steadily slipping production. Exploration activities in Uruguay and Paraguay are discussed. (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 7157362
• Journal Information: World Oil; (United States), Journal Name: World Oil; (United States) Vol. 181:3; ISSN WOOIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300 -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294002* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Petroleum
294003 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Natural Gas
ARGENTINA
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
CHARGES
CHILE
COLOMBIA
DRILLING
ECUADOR
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FRENCH GUIANA
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
OFFSHORE DRILLING
PARAGUAY
PERU
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PRODUCTION
RESOURCES
SOUTH AMERICA
SURINAM
TAXES
URUGUAY
VENEZUELA