Desarrollo energético en América Latina y la economía mundial

· E/rain Friedmann I \VORLD BANK LENDING FOR HYDROCARBONS: A.•• U nless current trends are reversed it will cease to be an oil exporter by the mid 1980s. Ecuador needs to change its domestic pricing polides which encourage excessive consumption and its polides vis-a. vis the international oH companies to .attract a larger exploratory eHort. The Bank is discussing several projects wi th CEPE but nothing has been firmed up as yet. Peru. A loan for about $ 30 million is being discussed with PEnD– PERU for rehabilitation of oi! fields in the Talara regíon and in the jungle. The Bank also hopes to be of assistance in the Government effort to aUract more foreign investment :as the potential of the coun– try which is deemed high remains largely unexplored. Other countries belonging to this group such as Brazil and Chile are not yet in our program but migth be included later if the Govern– ments show interest. Brazil, if the gas project with Bolivia is imple– mented. Chile, possibly in connection with exploration in gaseous prone areas in the central part of the country. In Latin America there is another large number of counties, mostly in the Caribbean where no NOCS are yet in place to take major respon. sibility for exploration and deve1opment. The Bank is trying to help these countries with loans for pre-development type ofassistance. Preparations are under way in Honduras and Panama in Central America. Also, a regional program has been proposed to the Caribbean countries. To Sum Up. Experience of the Bank since this program was started less than three years :ago is that there is great and real need in the LDes for the type of assistance which was envisaged. In production development, the major areas requiring support have been found to be: - U tilization of natural gas, currently being flared or left unused. - Rehabilitation of old fields and enhanced recovery. - Heavy oi! development. - Previously discovered marginal oH fields. In oH exploration: J69