In the aftermath of Bolivia's May 1 decision to nationalize its energy industry, questions about what role Bolivia would play as a regional energy provider have abounded. Nationalizations, after all, generally do not attract much foreign investment since they are more about seizing assets than developing them. Under terms agreed to Oct. 28 with such firms as Repsol YPF and Total, some of these questions were answered. The firms agreed to recategorize state firm Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) as the sole seller and owner of Bolivian oil and natural gas domestically and internationally. Put another way, YPFB will now own all the projects and the foreign firms will now be the state entity's contractors. YPFB will pay royalties to the government, and of course compensate the foreign companies for their services. The contracts are different for each field.