Petrobras' divestment programme has proved an abundant source of assets for many independent E&Ps
Brazilian M&A activity heats up
As Petrobras starts to wind down its portfolio divestment, Brazil is entering a new era of upstream consolidation
The race to capture upstream Brazilian assets has been frantic over the past five months, with several independent portfolios transformed by M&A acquisitions. One of the main beneficiaries, Rio de Janeiro-based operator 3R Petroleum, has already almost doubled its reserves in 2022 with the acquisitions of the Potiguar and Reconcavo onshore clusters from Brazilian state-controlled oil and gas firm Petrobras. The NOC’s divestment programme has proved an abundant source of assets for many independent E&Ps. And activity has not been restricted to just small maturing fields. In late April, a subsidiary of Brazilian operator Petrorio agreed to pay $2bn for a 90pc interest in the Albacora L
Also in this section
24 April 2025
The government hopes industry reforms can drive ambitious upstream plans
24 April 2025
Two consecutive years of sub-par hydrocarbon discoveries signal a precarious time for the energy world
23 April 2025
Oil and gas prices could come crashing down, resurrecting ghosts of trade wars past
23 April 2025
Capping state corporate income tax deductions would reduce energy supplies and raise prices
