Future: the sea and heavy crude

This work asks 2 questions. What will the 1980's add to the oil activity in Latin America. Where will the balance of the exploration, drilling and production be 10 yr from now. At this moment the Latin American petroleum activities are second in the world solely surpassed by the US. Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela present the best conditions for significantly increasing oil production, at a time when threats of political crisis in the Middle East and production declining in other regions make the energetic panorama of the world look dark. As far as drilling and production activities are concerned, Latin America seems to indicate 2 important aspects: heavy crudes and sea operations will set the pace for the petroleum industry. An overview of the energy situation in Latin American countries, as well as some plans for the near future, are given.