The degree of competition in Ecuador’s oil and gas sector can be characterised as low, with just one
company – the state-run Petroecuador and its subsidiaries – dominating the production of natural gas
and oil derivatives and accounting for the bulk of crude oil output (78.4% in 2017). Nevertheless, the
participation of private companies in the sector is set to increase, given the measures of the
administration of president Moreno to attract private investment in the domestic oil and gas
extraction industry – as evidenced by the launch of new bidding rounds, and the reinstatement of the
production-sharing modality in oil and gas concessions.