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Outlook 2026: South America’s oil growth story masks hidden risks
Brazil, Guyana and Argentina to lead additional crude supply increases, but the rest of the region remains patchy
Brazil could be an energy trailblazer
The oil powerhouse will not just join the top five crude exporters in the coming years, it may be a model for how petrostates balance growth, policy and sustainability
Arrow’s oil positivity defies Colombia headwinds
CEO Marshall Abbott highlights success in the Llanos Basin and explains why Colombia has a lot of untapped potential
Brazil looks to solve its energy security travails
Despite significant crude projections over the next five years, Latin America’s largest economy could be forced to start importing unless action is taken
Andean upstream feels the heat
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
Brazil rides a production wave
Latin America’s largest economy expects big uptick in crude this year with the imminent arrival of several FPSOs
Colombian E&Ps face bleak upstream outlook
Political backbiting and slumping drilling activity point to further declines ahead of next year’s election
Hydrocarbon Processing Refining Databook 2025: Americas
The US and Canada are boosting capacity builds for renewable diesel and biofuels, while Central and South American countries are investing heavily to upgrade and expand their domestic refining sectors
Latin America’s evolving crude outlook
New supply from Argentina, Brazil and Guyana is rich in middle distillates, but optimism in terms of volume growth remains tempered by regulatory and technical risks as well as price volatility
Latin America feels the heat
Extreme weather conditions are compounding upstream challenges and pressuring governments across the region
Reliance on digital technologies has never been higher
Digitalisation Brazil Colombia Ecopetrol Petrobras
Charles Waine
20 April 2021
Follow @PetroleumEcon
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Latin America pivots to digital

The pandemic has showcased the importance of reaching digital maturity, and state oil companies are taking notice

NOCs have some clear advantages when introducing sweeping change, particularly when it comes to digitalisation. Their sheer size and regional significance—not to mention heftier budgets—mean innovative new ideas and technologies can be tested and, if unsuccessful, fail fast. Over the past year, reliance on digital technologies has never been higher. Virtual working has fast-tracked some of these processes and resulted in many operators increasing digitalisation budgets. In Latin America, NOCs were eyeing technology change even before the pandemic emerged, but several have accelerated their commitments. Brazilian state oil company Petrobras quickly recognised the shifting sands, budgeting $1.

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