Matthew Smith is Oilprice.com's Latin-America correspondent. Matthew is a veteran investor and investment management professional. He obtained a Master of Law degree and is currently located in Latin America. Matthew writes on oil and gas, mining and infrastructure.
Squabbling between Venezuela and South America’s newest oil-producing nation Guyana over the resource-rich Essequibo region is heating up once again. The more than century-long quarrel centers…
Last year, 2023, was a tumultuous period for South America’s oil industry. Increased recognition of climate change saw regional governments push to reduce emissions and…
Ecuador, a tiny South American country of around 18 million, stands on the precipice of disaster. The Andean country, once considered an island of peace…
For a decade, Argentina’s governments have viewed the 7.5-million-acre Vaca Muerta, or Dead Cow, shale formation as an economic silver bullet. Since President Cristina de Kirchner…
In a shocking development, political outsider Javier Milei won Argentina’s November 2023 presidential election, taking 56% of the vote, with leftist opponent Sergio Massa receiving 44%. The television…
In a shock development, Latin American energy giant Brazil announced it will join the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries, including some of the world’s biggest…
The more than century-long dispute over the resource-rich Essequibo region in Guyana has intensified. Venezuela’s autocratic President Nicolas Maduro asserts, in one of the few…
After grappling with a lengthy political and economic crisis the government of Suriname pinned hopes of an economic recovery on a massive offshore oil boom.…
In Guyana’s territorial waters, after Exxon’s swathe of world-class petroleum discoveries, gigantic ships called floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels are sucking crude oil…
Colombia has a severe problem, cocaine. The South American country is the world’s largest producer of the narcotic, and it continues setting record highs for the cultivation…
In a surprise development, center-right businessman Daniel Noboa defeated leftist lawyer Luisa González last Sunday to become Ecuador’s youngest-ever president. The election, triggered by incumbent…
Guyana has emerged as one of the world’s most exciting offshore oil plays. In a mere eight years, the tiny South American country of less…
Colombia’s cocaine production continues to soar ever higher. For the fourth year straight, the United Nations Office on Drugs And Crime (UNODC) reported that Colombia’s 2022…
Venezuela is deploying a secret weapon to defeat strict U.S. sanctions aimed at blocking the OPEC member’s economically crucial crude oil exports, a dark fleet…
Tensions over a long-running border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana are flaring once again. The decades-long squabble originates from Venezuela’s claim over the Essequibo, a…
The exploitation of South America’s largest shale formation the Vaca Muerta, which is the size of Belgium, continues delivering impressive results at a crucial time…
A controversial article from news conglomerate Bloomberg claims that cocaine is poised to overtake oil and become Colombia’s largest export. This worrying report came on the heels…
After a flurry of oil discoveries in Suriname’s offshore waters since 2020, it was believed the impoverished former Dutch colony, among the poorest countries in…
After entering office on August 7th, 2023, Colombia’s leftist President, Gustavo Petr, implemented his plan to cease issuing new hydrocarbon exploration contracts and ban the controversial…
South American microstate Guyana recently emerged as what is being described as the world’s hottest offshore frontier oil play. A consortium led by ExxonMobil controls Guyana’s…