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Petróleo en Latinoamerica -
Brasil
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Viernes, 21 de Agosto de 2009 17:00 |
Brazil contemplating changes in oil law
Published: Aug 19, 2009
Paula Dittrick
OGJ Senior Staff Writer
HOUSTON, Aug. 19
-- Brazil’s President Luiz Inancio Lula da Silva expects to send
proposed changes in the country’s oil laws to Congress within 2 weeks,
he announced during an Aug. 18 speech in Rio de Janeiro state. Specifically,
Lula is contemplating laws that would regulate the exploration and
development of a presalt oil region offshore. Discussions include
possibly setting up a new state-owned company that would manage subsalt
development. Previously, some
concessions were granted to
various oil companies, including ExxonMobil Corp., BG Group, Hess
Corp., and Royal Dutch Shell PLC as well as Brazil’s own Petroleo
Brasileiro SA (Petrobras).
Shell spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh
recently told Forbes.com that Shell is willing to work with the
Brazilian government under “any new framework for the presalt region of
the country.” She emphasized that Shell would “like to see an
environment that continues to promote the competitiveness of the
market, protects the transparency and stability of the rules, and
respects the contracts.” Previously,
Lula commissioned a task
force to make recommendations on how to regulate the presalt region.
Changes in the oil law are expected to need ratification by Brazil’s
Senate (OGJ, Apr. 13, 2009, p. 20). Petrobras
being investigated
Mark
Jones, chairman of Rice University’s political science department, who
specializes in Latin American politics, told OGJ that he believes Lula
could run into snags as far as getting anything done now. Brazil’s
Senate is looking into accounting practices by Petrobras. Meanwhile,
legislative action in Brazil already has slowed because Senate
President Jose Sarney is being investigated in a separate matter. Jones
also noted that Brazil is slated for a presidential election next yeaJones said Petrobras will need technical and
financial help in developing the presalt region.
“Petrobras
is a professional company. It’s much less political than Pemex or
PDVSA,” Jones said in reference to the state-owned oil companies in
Mexico and Venezuela.
Michael R. Smith, chief executive of
Energyfiles, a UK-based oil and gas production, consumption, and
drilling activity forecasting service, said Brazil is looking for ways
to manage effective resource development during years of volatile
energy prices.
Smith said he expects new state-owned
Brazilian
company would have little effect on international drilling contractors
because any licensing company would have to hire rigs from somewhere.
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