Latin American divestment drive opens door to buyers
Portfolio rebalancing is helping boost M&A activity across the continent
Latin American NOCs were looking to move their portfolios down the cost curve even before the pandemic hit. But extreme market volatility over the past year—combined with the threat posed by the energy transition—has accelerated this trend, creating investment opportunities for many smaller E&P firms. Brazilian state oil company Petrobras is leading divestment activity in the region. The NOC has offloaded around 150 oil and gas fields over the past three years. And the company hopes to sell down its stakes in another 118. Petrobras’ upstream focus is on deepwater pre-salt production, boosted by falling lifting costs. In Q1, the Brazilian operator agreed to offload the Miranga cluster of
Also in this section
11 February 2026
Panellists from three LNG buyers at LNG2026 in Doha outlined their evolving procurement strategies as they navigate heightened market volatility
11 February 2026
North African producer plans to boost output by early 2030, with Europe its number one priority as export destination
11 February 2026
Maritime leaders at LNG2026 warned of the dangers of over-regulation on competitiveness, sustainability and innovation
10 February 2026
The country has opened bidding on 50 blocks in a new licensing round but will face competition for attention and will need to address concerns about security and legislation






