An oil well in Colombia
Colombia kickstarts bidding round
Latin American producer expands acreage offer nationwide to capitalise on its upstream potential before time runs out
Few licensing rounds were spared the brunt of the pandemic in 2020. As lockdowns took hold, oil prices collapsed and global economic recession appeared unavoidable. Against this stark backdrop, countries scrambled to suspend or defer their bidding rounds. In contrast, the mood across the oil patch this year is one of cautious optimism. Successful vaccines promise to return economic activity and oil prices have already rallied on encouraging health projections. In Latin America, bidding rounds are again set to resume. Brazil has booked in its 17th bidding round for the final quarter—offering attractive acreage in the pre-salt and beyond— and Colombia is following up the third cycle of the per
Also in this section
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
