Page 12 - LatAmOil Week 22 2021

LatAmOil BRAZIL LatAmOil

“The Bacalhau field is an accomplishment over services for the subsea pipelines (SURF) and
high-complexity technical challenges, without production systems (SPS) slated for installation
losing track of the positive economic and social at Bacalhau in 2022 and 2023.
aspects,” he commented. “The Bacalhau field The company reported on June 1 that it
represents the great benefit that foreign compa- expected to sign an agreement worth at least
nies can bring to the development of the pre-salt $750mn with Equinor and its partners in the
and Brazil. PPSA feels honoured with this highly near future.
co-operative partnership, which promises to Bacalhau straddles two offshore blocks in
generate excellent results for the country.” the Santos basin, BM-S-8 and Norte de Carcará.
In related news, Luxembourg-registered Equity in the project is divided between Equinor
Subsea 7 is set to provide engineering, procure- (operator, 40%), ExxonMobil (40%), Petrogal
ment, construction and installation (EPCI) (20%) and PPSA (20%). ™

Petrobras appeals Bolivian court’s

ruling on ownership of gas field

BRAZIL’S national oil company (NOC) Petro- Agro-Environmental Court has been tasked
bras is reportedly seeking to overturn a Bolivian with rendering a final ruling on the matter.
court’s decision on the ownership of a large nat- It is not clear when it might do so or whether
ural gas field. Petrobras’ accounts would remain frozen in the
Two sources told Reuters last week that interim.
Petrobras had recently brought the matter to As of press time, none of the parties had com-
Bolivia’s Sucre Agro-Environmental Court. The mented publicly on the matter.
NOC took this step with the aim of appealing A significant portion of the gas extracted
against a ruling issued by a lower court earlier from San Antonio and San Alberto, another
this year, they said. That ruling has resulted in field assigned to Petrobras, is delivered to Brazil
the freezing of the Brazilian company’s local via the Gasbol pipeline. The NOC is currently
bank accounts. looking to sell off its stake in Transportadora
The legal dispute concerned ownership of Gasoduto Bolivia-Brasil (TBG), the owner and
San Antonio, one of the two largest gas fields operator of the Brazilian section of the Gasbol
assigned to Petrobras in Bolivia. The family of system.
Maria del Rosario Vacaflor Lahore has been San Alberto was producing gas at the rate of
claiming ownership of a portion of San Antonio, around 2.69mn cubic metres per day in 2020.
and the lower Bolivian court ruled in April that Petrobras has a 35% stake in the project and
Petrobras and its partners in the project had to also serves as its operator, while the remaining
pay the family the sum of $61.14mn in damages. equity is owned by YPFB Andina, a consor-
According to the sources, who spoke tium formed by TotalEnergies (France), Repsol
on condition of anonymity, the Sucre (Spain) and YPFB. ™

San Antonio is one of Petrobras’ two largest gas fields in Bolivia (Image: Total)

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 22 03•June•2021