CEO Brief | Has Latin America Become the World's Most Attractive Exploration Region?
One of the things I enjoy most about convening World Energies Summit | The World’s Premier Global Upstream Conference | 29th - 30th September 2026 is the opportunity to spend time with governments, regulators and upstream leaders from all over the world.
And this is not only at the Summit itself, which is always a high-level, fun and intense couple of days, but throughout the preparation. We spend months speaking with governments and regulators to specifically understand their objectives for the coming year, the challenges they face, and how they can position themselves to attract investment and secure the right partners. Relationships are at the heart of what we do, and I am always interested to hear from the leadership in oil & gas regulators on the opportunities and challenges they face.
Hear my thoughts on the value of bringing together upstream investors in London
Over the past few months, I've had a growing number of conversations across Latin America specifically, and there is a huge amount to be interested in. We will be travelling to Rio for the first time in September with our Sponsor Viridien and I am looking forward to meeting many of the people I have been speaking to in person there from the region.
For several years now, the headlines have been dominated by Guyana, Namibia and Brazil. In many ways, those success stories have encouraged companies to look more creatively at where the next wave of exploration value will come from. Combined with the uncertainty in the Middle East and the continuing need to replace reserves, interest in Latin America is no longer confined to one or two countries.
Across the industry, operators remain focused on replacing reserves and securing long-term production rather than retreating from exploration. At the same time, governments are working hard to improve fiscal terms, increase access to data and make it easier for investors to engage. In my view, that combination of both increasingly attractive market conditions for exploration and governments aiming to look more attractive, is creating some fascinating opportunities.
Brazil continues to set the pace
Brazil remains one of the world's great exploration markets. The pre-salt continues to deliver, while the Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP) continues to attract global interest through its Open Acreage licensing system, covering prolific deepwater, mature and frontier basins. It has scale, infrastructure, technical capability and, importantly, companies still believe there is much more to find.
Suriname is building on its success
A few years ago, Suriname was full of promise. Today, it feels much more established. Recent offshore discoveries have transformed confidence, major operators are progressing developments, and Staatsolie continues to promote new offshore licensing opportunities while supporting the country's first offshore production projects. There is genuine belief that this basin still has significant room to grow.
Argentina is becoming much more interesting
Everyone knows the Vaca Muerta story, but Argentina has much more to offer than shale. Offshore exploration is attracting increasing attention, while the Secretariat of Energy continues to promote offshore opportunities and the country's producing provinces actively encourage investment across their onshore basins. Together, they are creating renewed interest across the sector.
Uruguay is one to watch
Uruguay is perhaps one of the more low key stories in the region, but I wouldn't overlook it. ANCAPcontinues to promote offshore acreage across the Punta del Este and Pelotas basins. The geology shares similarities with the Orange Basin, making it an attractive frontier exploration play. It may not generate blockbuster headlines today, but plenty of exploration teams are watching closely.
Don't overlook the rest of the region
There is a lot more to consider in this region, that the obvious ones... Colombia's Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH) continues to encourage exploration through its Permanent Process, allowing companies to evaluate and apply for acreage throughout the year. PeruPetro continues to promote both offshore and onshore opportunities across Peru's underexplored basins. Ecuador is actively pursuing contract reforms and licensing initiatives designed to attract greater private sector investment into its upstream sector. Trinidad & Tobago's Ministry of Energy & Energy Industries continues to launch competitive offshore gas bid rounds, supported by established LNG infrastructure and export markets. Meanwhile, YPFB Andina S.A. continues to promote exploration partnerships across Bolivia as the country looks to sustain long-term production.
I expect Latin America to generate some of the most interesting conversations at this year's World Energies Summit. One of the questions I'll be asking operators in London is:
If you had one exploration budget to allocate today, would you choose Latin America, Africa, Asia Pacific or another region - and why?
Join me in London on 29th–30th September alongside senior upstream leaders from governments and industry worldwide, as well as sponsors including ExxonMobil, TGS, Woodside Energy, Shell, Rystad Energy, R28, Actus Veritas, Nigdel United Oil Company, Blue Spark Energy, Searcher, S&P Global, Pharos Energy, ANCAP, Oil and Gas Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador, SEAPEX, London MMEA Scout Group, Continental Europe Energy Council, The Geopolitical Desk, London Oil Scouts, LACAS, New Producers for Sustainable Energy, EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers), Gogo Olive, for what is turning out to be an ode to the global upstream sector.
