Bolivia’s natural gas reserves depleted due to lack of exploration

Bolivia is facing depletion of its natural gas reserves, the country's main source of revenue, due to a lack of investment in exploration for new reserves. The Chairman of state-owned oil company YPFB announces a $669 million investment to boost production.

Share:

Gain full professional access to energynews.pro from 4.90$/month.
Designed for decision-makers, with no long-term commitment.

Over 30,000 articles published since 2021.
150 new market analyses every week to decode global energy trends.

Monthly Digital PRO PASS

Immediate Access
4.90$/month*

No commitment – cancel anytime, activation in 2 minutes.

*Special launch offer: 1st month at the indicated price, then 14.90 $/month, no long-term commitment.

Annual Digital PRO Pass

Full Annual Access
99$/year*

To access all of energynews.pro without any limits

*Introductory annual price for year one, automatically renewed at 149.00 $/year from the second year.

Bolivia has run out of natural gas reserves, its main source of income, due to a lack of investment in exploring new reserves, the president of state oil company YPFB said on Wednesday.

Bolivia’s natural gas in decline: $669 million investment to boost production

Since 2014, the country has seen a drop in production, Armin Dorgathen told reporters in the eastern city of Santa Cruz.

“There haven’t been enough exploration projects,” he lamented, announcing that some $669 million would be invested in exploration this year.

According to Dorgathen, Bolivia’s natural gas reserves amount to 8.95 trillion cubic meters. Production has fallen from 59 million cubic meters per day in 2014 to 37 today. Natural gas is a fossil fuel that emits CO2 when burned, but less than oil and coal. On Tuesday, President Luis Arce also warned that production would decline until it “hit rock bottom”.

“Gas reserves have not been replenished, so the country does not have the capacity to produce more,” he lamented.

In addition to supplying the domestic market, Bolivia also sells gas to Argentina and Brazil. According to the Independent Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade, natural gas sales brought in some $2.97 billion in 2022, more than the country’s mining and agricultural sectors.

Under the presidency of Evo Morales (2006-2019), Bolivia nationalized its natural gas reserves, which had previously been in the hands of Spanish, British, Brazilian and Argentine companies. At the time, he assured us that Bolivia was in a position to supply the entire region, as it was sitting on “a sea” of gas.

NextDecade has signed a liquefied natural gas supply agreement with EQT for 1.5 million tonnes annually from Rio Grande LNG Train 5, pending a final investment decision.
Sawgrass LNG & Power has renewed its liquefied natural gas supply agreement with state-owned BNECL, consolidating a commercial cooperation that began in 2016.
Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation have signed a binding memorandum to build the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, set to deliver 50 bcm of Russian gas per year to China via Mongolia.
Permex Petroleum signed a $3 million purchase option on oil and gas assets in Texas to support a strategy combining energy production and Bitcoin mining.
Enbridge announces the implementation of two major natural gas transmission projects aimed at strengthening regional supply and supporting the LNG market.
Commonwealth LNG’s Louisiana liquefied natural gas project clears a decisive regulatory step with final approval from the U.S. Department of Energy for exports to non-free trade agreement countries.
The Indonesian government confirmed the delivery of nine to ten liquefied natural gas cargoes for domestic demand in September, without affecting long-term export commitments.
The Egyptian government signs four exploration agreements for ten gas wells, allocating $343mn to limit the impact of the rapid decline in national production.
Hungary has imported over 5 billion cubic metres of Russian natural gas since January via TurkStream, under its long-term agreements with Gazprom, thereby supporting its national energy infrastructure.
U.S. regulators have approved two major milestones for Rio Grande LNG and Commonwealth LNG, clarifying their investment decision timelines and reinforcing the country’s role in expanding global liquefaction capacity.
Hokkaido Gas is adjusting its liquefied natural gas procurement strategy with a multi-year tender and a long-term agreement, leveraging Ishikari’s capacity and price references used in the Asian market. —
Korea Gas Corporation commits to 3.3 mtpa of US LNG from 2028 for ten years, complementing new contracts to cover expired volumes and diversify supply sources and price indexation.
Petrobangla plans to sign a memorandum with Saudi Aramco to secure liquefied natural gas deliveries under a formal agreement, following a similar deal recently concluded with the Sultanate of Oman.
CTCI strengthens its position in Taiwan with a new EPC contract for a regasification unit at the Kaohsiung LNG terminal, with a capacity of 1,600 tonnes per hour.
Exxon Mobil forecasts sustained growth in global natural gas demand by 2050, driven by industrial use and rising energy needs in developing economies.
Capstone Green Energy received a 5.8-megawatt order for its natural gas microturbines, to be deployed across multiple food production facilities in Mexico through regional distributor DTC Machinery.
Private firm Harvest Midstream has signed a $1 billion acquisition deal with MPLX for gas processing and transport infrastructure across three western US states.
Sempra Infrastructure and EQT Corporation have signed a 20-year liquefied natural gas purchase agreement, consolidating Phase 2 of the Port Arthur LNG project in Texas and strengthening the United States’ position in the global LNG market.
Subsea7 was selected to lead phase 3 of the Sakarya gas field, a strategic contract for Türkiye’s energy supply valued between $750mn and $1.25bn.
Tokyo protests against Chinese installations deemed unilateral in a disputed maritime zone, despite a bilateral agreement stalled since 2010.

Log in to read this article

You'll also have access to a selection of our best content.