Companies moving to Peru> Colombia's offshore energy hopes deflate amid poor discoveries, stricter regulations Hopes among foreign energy companies that Colombia's coast could serve as a key source of oil and gas for the future are being dashed as many exploration projects lag expectations, with unwelcomed regulation further deflating optimism. Exploration along Colombia's Caribbean coast has mostly ended in disappointment as major producers like Shell have left the country and others, including Chevron have shrunk operations. The disappointing finds and regulatory roadblocks are pushing some energy firms to abandon the Andean nation for neighboring countries like Peru, where incentives for exploring and producing have become clearer. (Reuters)