Opportunities have opened up for smaller E&P firms
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
12 December 2025
The federal government is working with Alberta to improve the country’s access to Asian markets and reduce dependence on the US, but there are challenges to their plans
12 December 2025
The latest edition of our annual Outlook publication, titled 'The shape of energy to come: Creating unique pathways and managing shifting alliances', is available now
11 December 2025
The removal of the ban on oil and gas exploration and an overhaul of the system sends all the right messages for energy security, affordability and sustainability
10 December 2025
The economic and environmental cost of the seven-year exploration ban will be felt long after its removal
