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Bolivia political deal clears gas line, urea plant

  • : Fertilizers, Natural gas
  • 19/11/25

A breakthrough in Bolivia's political crisis is clearing the way for repairs to a sabotaged natural gas pipeline and a urea plant.

Jeanine Anez, the conservative former senator who declared an interim administration after longtime president Evo Morales resigned on 10 November, struck a political compromise yesterday with Morales' Movement toward Socialism party (MAS) that will lead the country to new elections by around the end of April 2020.

Morales supporters agreed to lift roadblocks, while the Anez administration vowed to withdraw the military from the streets.

The military and police effectively abandoned Morales after he declared victory in his bid for a fourth presidential term in 20 October elections that the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS) deemed to be tainted.

Unrest broke out shortly after the elections, and later focused around La Paz and Cochabamba where Morales supporters had demanded his return. Tensions peaked last week when protesters blocked the Senkata fuel terminal in El Alto outside of La Paz.

The lifting of the roadblocks has allowed technicians to access the Carrasco-Cochabamba gas pipeline that was sabotaged in early November, allegedly by Morales supporters shortly after he fled to Mexico where he was given political asylum. Around 200m of the domestic pipeline were damaged, according to Bolivia's state-owned oil and gas company YPFB.

Bolivia's defense ministry reported that farmers agreed to allow workers from YPFB to access the pipeline and undertake repairs.

The pipeline supplies the 700,000 t/yr Bulo Bulo urea and ammonia plant in Cochabamba's jungle region. YPFB said it was too early to determine how much time would be needed to fix the line.

The plant had been producing at a reduced capacity since late October because of the roadblocks that prevented urea supply from reaching neighboring Brazil.

YPFB signed a commercial deal on 15 October with Russia's Acron to provide natural gas for urea production at a plant that the Russian company operates in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state. Under the contract, Acron will help distribute urea from the Bolivian plant.

The unrest in Bolivia did not impact the country's pipeline gas exports to Brazil and Argentina which account for the bulk of the government's revenue. YPFB had warned its counterparts in both countries on 11 November of possible interruptions, but these never materialized. The operations of foreign companies, including Spain's Repsol, France's Total, Shell and Russia's Gazprom, were largely unaffected.

Evo's friends

Under ground-breaking legislation approved by the MAS-controlled congress yesterday, a new electoral board will be installed within 20 days. The board is tasked with calling elections within 120 days.

The legislation prohibits Morales and his former vice president Alvaro Garcia from running in the new elections. Garcia fled to Mexico along with Morales, a steadfast ally of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro, whose government is the target of US sanctions.

The indigenous Morales was first elected in 2005 on a resource nationalist platform and served nearly 14 years before resigning. Despite his rhetoric, the Morales administration provided a stable operating climate for oil and gas companies.

Morales and his supporters inside and outside Bolivia say he was the victim of a coup. Among his regional backers are Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela and Uruguay. Montevideo's stance could now swing into the anti-Morales camp if the initial results of a 24 November run-off election favoring center-right Luis Lacalle Pou are confirmed. But Argentina is shifting leftward with incoming president Alberto Fernandez, who replaces pro-business Mauricio Macri early next month.

By Lucien Chauvin and Patricia Garip


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25/02/06

Crude Summit: US to remain top crude producer

Crude Summit: US to remain top crude producer

Houston, 6 February (Argus) — The US is likely to remain the world's top crude producer for some time to come, according to shale executives at the Argus Global Crude Summit Americas in Houston, Texas, today. "In the foreseeable future, I don't really see a lot of change," said Shannon Flowers, director of crude and water marketing at Coterra Energy. There is still enough high-quality acreage to go after, while efficiency gains around faster drilling times and targeting longer wells are also helping to drive output gains. "There's a lot of creativity that goes on in trying to understand how we can do more with less," Flowers said today at the event. While the rig count is down 20pc over the last two years, production has grown by more than 1mn b/d. "Doing more with less is kind of a common theme," Flowers said in reference to operations at Coterra and across the industry. "I expect that to continue." While the Permian has dominated all the attention of late, the offshore Gulf of Mexico is likely to be an important driver of output going forward, with several projects starting up this year. Other regions such as the Rockies, Wyoming and possibly Utah could also see some growth. A recent round of mergers and acquisitions that saw $300bn of upstream oil and gas deals inked has further to run, says John Argo, vice president for the Williston Basin at Continental Resources. "There will continue to be more consolidation," Argo said. Scarcity with regard to remaining high-quality acreage means that valuations will continue to climb, he said. By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Crude Summit: Asset-backed oil trades on the rise


25/02/06
25/02/06

Crude Summit: Asset-backed oil trades on the rise

Houston, 6 February (Argus) — Asset-backed trading is becoming commonplace in the oil industry as companies up and down the supply chain bring capabilities in-house, delegates heard at the Argus Global Crude Summit Americas in Houston, Texas, today. "Traditionally, long term hedging was popular, and it still is, but in general we've seen a move towards the front end of the curve," said CME Group's managing director and global head of energy and environmental products Peter Keavey. "The risks are really in the prompt," said Keavy. "We're seeing a lot of hedging in the short term [and] that also is reflective of asset-based optimization." HC Group managing partner Paul Chapman has also noticed a continued shift in trading by banks, which either exited or scaled down operations in 2014 and 2015, to those directly in the industry. "I would argue that pretty much every single business around the world — producer, miner, refiner, retailer of fuels and major — is on some spectrum of developing some asset trading," said Chapman. "And it's driven by a need to capture more margin." Changing trade flows have naturally had a bearing on who becomes more involved in individual markets. "Over the past five years, European players have more and more exposure to US molecules, whether it be crude oil or natural gas," said Keavey, which has driven the growth of trade of WTI, RBOB, gasoline, and heating oil in international markets. Changing energy policy, and policies to reach other political objectives, have a tendency to shape energy flows, whether they are intended or not, the speakers said. The Russian-Ukraine conflict is a prime example, and there are clear signs that US president Donald Trump's second term in office will do the same. "As this world gets more shaped by trade wars and there's more and more government intervention, that itself starts to break down some of the fundamentals of how some of these markets work," said Chapman. Keavey expects Canadian crude to continue to flow even under a Canada-US trade war, but "the question is, what disruption happens to the pricing?" By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Amos to buy Sinopec Venezuelan oil, gas assets


25/02/06
25/02/06

Amos to buy Sinopec Venezuelan oil, gas assets

Caracas, 6 February (Argus) — US upstream start-up Amos Global Energy Management has agreed to buy some of Chinese Sinopec's oil and natural gas interests in Venezuela with an eye on US sanctions eventually easing there, the Houston-based firm said. Venezuela's state-owned PdV is the majority owner of the stake to be sold, which is part of the PetroParia joint venture with Sinopec in the Gulf of Paria. "Sinopec did not develop it better because of clashes with PdV management, but the potential to export gas to Trinidad and Tobago from the property is clear", Maracaibo-based analyst ChemStrategy said. Trinidad and Tobago has discussed developing gas fields that straddle its border with Venezuela to stem its downturn in production. But US sanctions on Venezuela's crude sector have slowed progress, and the administration of President Donald Trump has not indicated that it will change course . Amos "believes that this purchase will ultimately bring the investments needed to develop oil and gas production opportunities" there and in other nearby properties, including in a previous agreement in the same Gulf of Paria with Inepetrol. PdV officials and pro-Maduro lawmakers in Caracas said they were aware of the plan but declined to offer additional details. Amos has been seeking capital and arming agreements to be "prepared to increase Venezuelan production when existing sanctions are lifted." Amos is led by chief executive Ali Moshiri who retired as president of Chevron Africa and Latin America exploration and production in March 2017. Completion of the sale will require approval from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Venezuelan hydrocarbons ministry, Amos said. By Carlos Camacho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia's Beach cuts FY24-25 oil, gas output target


25/02/06
25/02/06

Australia's Beach cuts FY24-25 oil, gas output target

Sydney, 6 February (Argus) — Australian independent Beach Energy has narrowed its oil and gas output guidance for the year to 30 June 2025, given delays in bringing the Western Australian (WA) 250 TJ/d Waitsia gas plant on line. Beach will produce 18.5mn-20.5mn bl of oil equivalent/d (boe/d) in 2024-25, it said in its half-year results to 31 December. It revised the top end of its previous forecast of 17.5mn-21.5mn boe down because of delays at Waitsia, which is operated by joint venture partner Japanese trading house Mitsui. Beach has maintained its guidance for first sales gas at Waitsia in April-June. The Adelaide-based firm last month reported its output at 10.2mn boe in July-December 2024, 15pc higher on the year, leading Beach to raise the bottom end of its guidance. The five Waitsia LNG swap cargoes that Beach has executed to date have brought forward revenue for the firm, which reported A$139mn ($87.1mn) from the two shipped in July-December 2024. A fifth cargo was lifted from Australian independent Woodside Energy's 14.4mn t/yr North West Shelf (NWS) LNG terminal in January, while a possible sixth may occur before the end of June. "We have opportunities for additional swaps in the market and we're looking very closely… I'm hoping to get another [cargo] out before the half-year," chief executive Brett Woods said on 6 February. About 35pc of the gas exported via swap cargoes to date were from Beach's own 20 TJ/d (534,000 m³/d) Xyris gas plant, meaning it will not need to be swapped back, Woods said. Beach expects 8-10 cargoes/yr of Waitsia gas to be shipped until 2028, with scope to further extend the project's LNG exports following the WA government's changes to onshore gas export rules. Waitsia partners hold a gas processing agreement with the NWS JV running until the end of 2028. Beach will start its Offshore Gas Victoria programme in 2025 as part of its ambition to become a major domestic gas supplier. This includes drilling the Hercules gas prospect in Victoria state's offshore Otway basin in April-June, described as a "large scale opportunity" with prospective reserves of 100bn ft³ (280mn m³). No change was made to Beach's 2024-25 capital expenditure guidance of A$700mn-$800mn. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Equinor Norwegian gas output up on year in 2024


25/02/05
25/02/05

Equinor Norwegian gas output up on year in 2024

London, 5 February (Argus) — Norwegian state-controlled Equinor's gas output on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) edged up on the year, driven by record-high output from the giant Troll field and fewer unplanned outages at NCS assets, the firm said on Wednesday. The firm's Norwegian gas output rose by 4pc on the year to 758,000 b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) or 107mn m³/d in 2024. This was driven by "strong contributions" from the Troll and Johan Sverdrup fields, Equinor said. Gas production from Troll — in which Equinor holds a 31pc stake — reached an all-time high last year at roughly 116mn m³/d, the Norwegian producer has said. And there were fewer "unplanned losses" on the NCS last year than in 2023, Equinor said. The firm was the largest producer on the NCS in 2023, accounting for more than a third of total gas output on the shelf, the latest available data from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate show. Equinor's global gas output rose by 2pc to 985,000 boe/d or 139mn m³/d last year. But the firm's combined oil and gas global output was slightly lower in 2024, with a small increase in gas production insufficient to offset lower liquids output. Equinor's equity liquids production was 1.08mn boe/d in 2024, down by 3pc on the year. Equinor expects "more than 10pc growth from 2024-27" in oil and gas production, reaching a peak at 2.3mn boe/d in 2027. And the firm estimated that hydrocarbons output would grow by 4pc from 2024 to 2025. Equinor's reported Norwegian gas prices dropped by 22pc on the year to $9.47/mn Btu, or €31.01/MWh, in 2024, using Wednesday's exchange rate. And the average reported price for its US gas decreased by 4pc to $1.70/mn Btu, or €5.57/MWh. Equinor made a profit of $8.83bn in 2024, down by 26pc on the year. Profit was $1.99bn in the fourth quarter, 23pc lower on the year. The company has cut its 2030 expected renewables capacity to 10-12GW, from 12-16GW, noting that the pace of the energy transition is slower in some markets. It did not give a new target for capital expenditure allocation to this sector. Equinor also modified some net carbon intensity goals, setting ranges rather than absolute targets. By Georgia Gratton and Jana Cervinkova Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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