The Minister of Hydrocarbons met with the President of Petrobras in order to establish technical working groups and a joint work agenda.
This Wednesday, the government of Rodrigo Paz announced that a series of technical working groups will be held with the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, so that the company may expand its participation in Bolivia’s hydrocarbon sector.
It should be noted that Bolivia’s hydrocarbon sector has been facing a sustained decline for several years. This decline is now more evident, as the country has been forced to import a large share of the diesel and gasoline consumed within its territory.
In that regard, the Minister of Hydrocarbons and Energy, Marcelo Blanco, reported on the social media platform X about his meeting in Brazil with Petrobras President Magda Chambriard. Blanco stated that the meeting was held with the aim of establishing technical working groups and an open agenda to promote the country’s development.
Similarly, the Ministry of Hydrocarbons stated in a press release that the meeting was held in compliance with the agreement reached between the presidents of Bolivia and Brazil, Rodrigo Paz Pereira and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, respectively. Both leaders had reached an agreement at the Mercosur summit held last week in Paraguay.
“As a result of the meeting, today (Wednesday) it was agreed to establish technical working groups to begin negotiations aimed at increasing Petrobras’ participation in the sector,” said the statement from the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.
Cabe señalar que, junto al ministro de Hidrocarburos, participaron en el encuentro sus pares de Obras Públicas, Servicios y Vivienda, Mauricio Zamora; de Economía y Finanzas Públicas, José Gabriel Espinoza, y el presidente de la estatal Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), Sebastian Daroca.
The Negotiations with Petrobras
It should be noted that the governments of Rodrigo Paz and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva decided to accelerate negotiations toward the signing of agreements between Petrobras and Bolivia’s state oil company, YPFB (Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos), for gas extraction.
It should be noted that the Brazilian company was once responsible for 60% of Bolivia’s natural gas production, but it is known that it currently operates 25% of the country’s total production.
