Total ups SthAm hydrocarbons output 10% in Q1

French oil company Total (NYSE: TOT) produced 232,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boe/d) from its South American operations in the first quarter, up 10% on 1Q04, the company said in its first quarter earnings statement. South American liquids production increased 4% to 139,000boe/d while gas output rose 27% to 517 million cubic feet a day. First quarter highlights included the acquisition of a 49% stake in block 4 of the Plataforma Deltana in Venezuela from Norway's Statoil subject to approval by authorities. Statoil was awarded an exploration and production contract for block 4 in February 2003. The block covers 1,433 sq. km. of the Plataforma Deltana area off the east coast of Venezuela in water depths of 200-800m. Statoil, Total and Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA are already partners in Sincor, a project to upgrade extra-heavy crude from the Orinoco belt in southern Venezuela. Total has announced plans to build the Sincor II extra-heavy crude project in the coming years. Company-wide, Total increased its first quarter net profits 50% to 2.92bn euros (US$3.78bn) thanks to high oil prices and high refining and petrochemicals margins.