Welcome to the Institute of the Americas

Pre-Salt Proposal Unleashes Debate In Brazil

On August 31, President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil announced his government’s intentions for a new fiscal and regulatory framework for what is generally referred to as the Pre-Salt hydrocarbon basin off Brazil’s Atlantic coast.   Lula proposed four bills to Congress aimed at overhauling regulations of the country’s oil and gas industry and unleashed a debate over the Pre-Salt that is white hot within Brazil and across the energy world. 

Against this backdrop, and with the aim of fostering an international public policy discussion of the various elements of the proposed legislation and Brazil’s energy panorama the Institute of the Americas organized a one-day roundtable in Rio de Janeiro on October 22nd.  

While the legislation contains many critical elements, the focus of discussions at the Institute roundtable were on the “new model” vis-à-vis investment rules and the transition from a concession structure to production sharing agreements; the creation of a new federal entity, Petro-Sal, tasked with contractual and administrative duties in the Pre-Salt; the social fund that would capture the increased windfall controlled by the government to be spent on poverty reduction, education, science and technology, and culture; and, perhaps most importantly, the role ascribed to Petrobras.  

A net effect of the new framework, likely to be approved by the Brazilian Congress, will be to diminish the role of private participation in exploration and production in the Pre-Salt basin and increase that of state-owned Petrobras. This will be a major change for Petrobras which has often been seen as a model for public-private collaboration since its partial privatization in 1997. The Government of Brazil has emphasized that it will respect all current contracts.

Increased attention on Brazil’s energy sector dates to before the Pre-Salt, but it was the November 2007 announcement of the massive Tupi oil field discovery -- the Western Hemisphere’s largest in 30 years -- that sharpened the spotlight on the potential for oil and gas development in Brazil. Indeed, most analysts tend to agree that the Pre-Salt discoveries will catapult Brazil into the midst of the world’s top-ten reserve holders. They are currently 17th.

As the intense discussion and myriad opinions set forth at the Institute’s roundtable underscore, the potential for the Pre-Salt and the new model unveiled by the Lula government assure the topic a place at the forefront of hemispheric energy policy discussions. Presentations 

President Jeffrey Davidow shared a panel in Madrid

Institute President Jeffrey Davidow shared a panel in Madrid on October 15 with former InterAmerican Development Bank President Enrique Iglesias, currently head of the Madrid-based Secretaria General  IberoAmericana, and Jose Juan Ruiz, director of research for Latin America for Banco Santander.

The occasion was a meeting of the Group of 50, a private organization of Latin American business leaders. Other attendees at the panel session which dealt with international perspectives of the Latin American scene  included the G-50 Chairman Moises Naim, Editor of Foreign Policy Managazine, and Spanish Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon y Grecia.

Back to top

Institute of the Americas
University of California, San Diego campus
La Jolla, California  Directions

• REGISTER ONLINE ($10 per person)
• FULL-TIME Teachers / Students, and Press only, register free here
• Institute members only,  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Amalia García was born in Zacatecas, the daughter of former politician and governor Francisco E. García. Elected in 2004 on the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) ticket, she is the first female governor of the state. She previously served two terms as a Federal Deputy, where her legislative efforts emphasized equal rights for women, human rights and the fight against corruption. She was also a senator and an assemblywoman in the Legislative Assembly of Mexico City.

Governor García has been heavily involved in efforts to improve economic development in her state, where migration to the United States has reduced the population by nearly half. Migration presents challenges both internally and vis-à-vis the U.S.-Mexico relationship between Mexico and the United States. Governor Garcia will focus on the migration issue during her talk at the Institute.

Nov. 19, 2009 

IOA Anniversary Dinner

6:30 p.m. - Reception
7:15 p.m. - Dinner and entertainment

The Institute of the Americas is hosting its 26^th anniversary dinner in celebration of a quarter century of building bridges of cooperation throughout the Americas.

The keynote speaker will be Enrique Garcia, president and CEO of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

SPONSORS

 

Dorothy and David Weaver

Mr.& Mrs Malin Burnham

Hojel-Schumacher Foundation

 

Back to top

---

Nov. 19, 2009 

Energy & Climate in the Hemisphere: The Road to Copenhagen

8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

EVENT AGENDA

UCSD campus, La Jolla, California
General Public ($50)  - TICKETS HERE
IOA Members, Faculty and Students - REGISTER FREE
And attend the Institute Annual Dinner, November 19th - TICKETS HERE

 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Andres Gluski, Chief Operating Officer (COO), AES Corporation
Kirk L. Haney, President & CEO, SG Biofuels
J. Patrick Kennedy, Founder & CEO, OSIsoft, Inc.
Joel Velasco, Chief Representative, North America, Brazilian Sugar Cane Industry Association (UNICA)
David G. Victor, Professor, School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, UCSD & Director, Laboratory on International Law and Regulation
Eric Westberg, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station & Director, Brazil Independent Power Producer Association (APINE)
 

Sponsored by

 

       

                                 

                         


                        

 November 20, 2009 

Critical Issues in Latin America

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

EVENT AGENDA

UCSD campus, La Jolla, California
General Public ($25)  - TICKETS HERE
IOA Members, Faculty and Students - REGISTER FREE
And attend the Institute Annual Dinner, November 19th - TICKETS HERE

CHINA AND LATIN AMERICA
President Hu Jintao’s 2008 trip to Latin America signaled a new resolve by the Chinese government to increase its economic influence in the Western Hemisphere. Since President Hu’s meeting with Latin American leaders at the APEC summit, his populous nation has strengthened trade, investment, technology, security and cultural ties with countries in the region

THE ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY
Neopopulism, the role of Chavez, the responsible left, the erosion of freedoms, institutional weakness, the role of the press and civil society, and the coup in Honduras will be the focus of this session.

DRUGS AND VIOLENCE
Has the war on drugs failed? Are alternative policies available? What is the impact of gang violence on societies with weak institutions? What does the future hold for Plan Colombia and the Merida Initiative?

Sponsored by

 

 

Dorothy and David Weaver

Fundación Manuel Arango

 

Media Partners

 

Back to top

---

 May 11 & 12, 2010 

XIX Annual Latin American Energy Conference
The La Jolla Conference

La Jolla, CA

Recognized as the most significant meeting of its kind, the La Jolla Conference annually convenes the most influential players from across the hemisphere and globe. Last year's conference included presentations by the CEO of BP, Tony Hayward, as well as senior executives from Chevron, CAF, Ecopetrol, PEMEX, AES, GDF SUEZ, Gran Tierra, among others.