Bolivia's YPFB to invest $400 million to drill at latest natural gas discovery
Adds detail from event in paragraphs 6-10, graphic
LA PAZ, July 18 (Reuters) -Bolivian state oil firm YPFB will spend around $400 million to drill gas wells and build facilities at a recently discovered natural gas "mega" field, the company said on Thursday.
Production at the Mayaya field, estimated to hold 1.7 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, should kick off in three to four years, YPFB said in a statement.
YPFB believes the area, north of Bolivia's administrative capital La Paz, could hold at least another five gas reserves of similar size, it said.
Development at Mayaya could cover the demand for gas in western Bolivia, according to the company.
The nation is facing an energy crunch linked to years of declining oil and gas production that has hit the country's currency reserves.
"This needed to be done many years ago, but we're doing it now," YPFB CEO Armin Dorgathen told journalists earlier this week.
Dorgathen told Reuters in an interview last month that the firm was looking for partners and financing to build up its flagging production.
The slide in domestic oil and gas output has been at the heart of Bolivia's recent economic and political woes. Once an important gas exporter to neighbors like Brazil, the production drop has hammered export revenue and left central bank reserves almost depleted.
Protests linked to the lack of dollars and long queues at gas stations have become increasingly common, stoking tensions and leading to in-fighting in the ruling socialist MAS party between President Luis Arce and former leader Evo Morales.
Bolivia: Out of gas Bolivia: Out of gas https://reut.rs/3W6c8mu
Reporting by Sergio Limachi; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Alexander Villegas, Brendan O'Boyle and Diane Craft
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
