Page 13 - LatAmOil Week 30

LatAmOil ECUADOR LatAmOil

Currently, the block is yielding more than 60,000 up to this year’s target level.
barrels per day of crude oil, equivalent to about Petroamazonas is the largest oil producer
15% of Petroamazonas’ total production of in Ecuador, accounting for nearly 77% of the
400,000 bpd. The company said in March that country’s total output of 520,000 bpd. Quito
it intended to spend $148mn on a new drilling has announced plans to merge the company
campaign at Tambacocha in order to push out- with Petroecuador, another government-run
put up by 7,500 bpd. At the time, it stated that company, and hopes to complete that process in
this initiative would allow it to bring production November. ™

BOLIVIA
Senkata gas plant suspends production

amidst wave of COVID-19 infections

TWO of Bolivia’s largest cities are reporting
shortages of LPG, owing to the spread of coro-
navirus (COVID-19) cases among the workers
of the Senkata gas plant in El Alto.
This facility, which is owned by the national
oil company (NOC) YPFB, is usually the main
supplier of LPG to La Paz and El Alto. These cit-
ies are home to nearly 2mn people, and they rely
on Senkata for supplies of fuel. Earlier this week,
though, local press agencies said that the plant
had not made any deliveries of fuel to distribu-
tors since July 27.
The agencies also noted that the plant had
informed the National Hydrocarbons Agency
(ANH) of its plight, saying it had been forced to Senkata is the main source of LPG for La Paz and El Alto (Photo: YPFB)
make production cuts because of the “massive
spread” of infection among its staff, they said. many consumers in La Paz and El Alto travelled
ANH confirmed these reports, saying that to the plant and to distributions centres in the
the plant had reported a “drop in production hope of stocking up on LPG, which is a popu-
and subsequent shortage of LPG.” The agency lar fuel for homes and small business facilities
said it had asked YPFB to provide more infor- that are not connected to natural gas networks.
mation on conditions at the plant but did not The crowds at these locations were large enough
reveal the extent of the fall in output. that some observers expressed concern about
For its part, YPFB issued a statement saying the possibility that they might serve to spread
that it expected to resolve the matter. Distribu- coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.
tion of LPG will “normalise gradually,” the com- Bolivia has in recent years gone from being a
pany said, without giving a timeline. net importer of LPG to a net exporter. Accord-
News of the halt in production at Senkata ing to YPFB, the country earned $44.4mn from
sparked concerns about shortages. As a result, sales to Paraguay, Peru and other markets. ™

VENEZUEL A
Guaido’s US envoy to probe oil resales

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s US Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was
envoy has said he will investigate the possibil- sending Cuba crude and fuel in quantities that
ity that Cuba is reselling some of the crude oil appeared to exceed domestic demand.
and refined fuels that it buys from Venezuela on “Cuba doesn’t need that amount of oil,”
favourable terms. Vecchio told reporters, according to a Reuters
Guaido’s ambassador to Washington, Car- report. “Probably part of that will be resold,” he
los Vecchio, claimed that the government of stated.

Week 30 30•July•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P13