Page 4 - LatAmOil Week 32

LatAmOil COMMENTARY LatAmOil

Bretaña and other fields within Block 95 lie within Peru’s Requena province (Image: PetroTal)

PetroTal forced to halt oil

production again in Peru

Protesters seeking additional government aid are part of a movement to advance indigenous rights

PETROTAL recently reported that it had the ONP system.
resumed production at Bretaña, a field within The field had been producing about 11,500
WHAT: Block 95 in Peru, after a shutdown that lasted bpd before the advent of the pandemic. Even
PetroTal brought Bretaña more than two and a half months. so, the resumption of development operations
back on line last month The independent Canadian company had was good news after the period of enforced
but has had to suspend taken Bretaña offline at the beginning of May. inactivity.
production again. It did so in response to the temporary closure of The improvement in PetroTal’s outlook did
the Northern Oil Pipeline (ONP), a key crude oil not last long, though. On August 10, the com-
WHY: transportation route operated by PeruPetro, the pany issued a statement saying it had taken
Recent clashes between national oil and gas regulator. PeruPetro took Bretaña offline again.
police and protesters left this step in order to comply with the lockdown
three dead at the field measures that the Peruvian government intro- Civil unrest
camp. duced to rein in the coronavirus (COVID-19) There are different reasons for the shutdown
pandemic, it explained. this time, though. PetroTal is not responding
WHAT NEXT: Bretaña then remained shuttered until directly to a public health emergency but to civil
The Canadian company mid-July, when PetroTal began test produc- unrest linked to the public health emergency.
should be prepared for tion. PeruPetro reported later that the field had In its August 10 statement, the company
further clashes with yielded 12,000 barrels per day (bpd) on average reported that Bretaña had been targeted by a
indigenous communities. between July 18 and July 28. It also reported that group of protesters that had recently taken con-
the Canadian company would henceforth limit trol of Pump Station No. 5, a facility owned by
output to 8,000 bpd pending the re-opening of Petroperu, at Saramiriza.

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 32 13•August•2020