Latin America's hobbled oil giants
Plagued by debt, low oil prices and political turmoil, times have been troubled for Latin America's state-run energy firms
The quiet rivalry among Latin America's three largest national oil companies (NOCs) continues to rage, though none has covered themselves in glory lately. Venezuela's PdV is mired in the country's economic and political crisis and has been on the brink of defaulting on its international debt obligations for the past 18 months. Brazil's Petrobras has been at the centre of the largest corruption scheme the nation has ever seen and been forced to dramatically curtail its world-beating growth plans. The closest thing to a bright spot for the region's big three NOCs has been Mexico's Pemex. The nation's energy reforms are opening new avenues for the company to bring in badly needed capital and te

Also in this section
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamlined permitting for natural gas, while tightening requirements and stripping away subsidies from renewables
8 August 2025
The producers’ group missed its output increase target for the month and may soon face a critical test of its strategy
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy