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It’s been a head-spinning day in the Iran war. Earlier today, following a temporary truce between Lebanon and Israel, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be...
The Columbia Global Energy Summit 2026 is an annual event dedicated to thought-provoking discussions around the critical energy and climate challenges facing the global community.
Summit Event
• Lerner Hall
Columbia University
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The Future of State-owned Oil & Gas Companies in Latin America
Past Event
April 21, 2021
10:00 am - 11:30 am utc
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Latin America’s state-owned oil and gas sector is facing unprecedented challenges caused by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting collapse in commodity prices and crude oil demand, as well as related financial and political pressures. These conditions, in addition to persistent administrative challenges and long-term debt liabilities, have caused Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) production to drop to the lowest levels per citizen since the 1920s in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven crude reserves. Political upheaval has also impacted Petroecuador, Pemex, and YPF, although the latter has announced plans to invest $1.5 billion to ramp up the output of shale gas field Vaca Muerta.
The latest decision by President Jair Bolsonaro to replace Petrobras CEO Roberto Castello Branco with a former army general with little experience in the oil industry harkens back to Brazil’s history of political meddling in fuel pricing. Colombia’s Ecopetrol stands out as a bright spot in the region. Among the reforms enacted over the last decade was the listing of 11% of the company’s shares, which provided an infusion of capital that helped the company enlist better managers. To boost reserves, it has teamed up with international oil majors to invest in fracking and in upstream activities in other countries.
Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy together with the Columbia Global Centers hosted a panel of exceptional policy experts to analyze the different economic, political, and social dynamics at play in the main oil and gas producing countries in Latin America.
Moderator:
Dr. Thomas J. Trebat, Director, Columbia Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro
Panelists:
Rosanety Barrios, Independent Analyst
Philippe Benoit, Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA
Dr. Mauricio Cárdenas, Visiting Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA
Dr. Fernanda Delgado, Professor and Strategic Advisor, FGV Energia
Dr. Mauricio Cárdenas, Visiting Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA
Panelists
Rosanety Barrios, Independent Analyst
Philippe Benoit, Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA
Dr. Fernanda Delgado, Professor and Strategic Advisor, FGV Energia
This roundtable is open only to currently enrolled Columbia University students. To register, you must sign in with your UNI. Join the Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women...
Event
• Center on Global Energy Policy
1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027
This roundtable is open only to currently enrolled Columbia University students. To register, you must sign in with your UNI. The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at...
Event
• Center on Global Energy Policy
1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027
This roundtable is open only to currently enrolled Columbia University students. To register, you must sign in with your UNI. The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia...
Event
• Center on Global Energy Policy
1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027
In March 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington to press a US president on slowing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Inside the White House, the dilemma was stark.
