Page 13 - LatAmOil Week 50 2021

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SOTE and OCP are the country’s two main oil pipelines (Image: Ecuador Ministry of Hydrocarbons)
It also reported that the closure applied to Heavy have spent more than $20mn on the construc-
Crude Pipeline (OCP), the operator of a pri- tion of new pipe sections and other measures
vate oil pipeline system that has been handling designed to minimise environmental hazards
around 180,000 bpd. since April 2020, when heavy rains triggered
According to press reports, the state-owned erosion and landslides that damaged the pipe-
company has also begun to curtail production lines and caused oil spills along the Coca River
at several fields because it does not have enough and its tributaries.
storage space to continue operations without Additional bypasses may be necessary in the
access to SOTE. future if conditions do not improve, a Petroe-
In its statement, the NOC reported that it cuador representative said earlier this year. “We
had already begun building emergency bypass hope this is the last bypass, but it depends on the
pipelines so that SOTE, OCP and the Shushu- erosion,” he told Argus Media.
findi-Quito link could resume operation. It also OCP is technically capable of carrying
stressed that it had enough fuel in its inventories 450,000 bpd but has been operating far below
to meet domestic demand for the time being, capacity. The pipeline is owned by a group of
but it did not say exactly when it expected to international investors that includes Andes
complete the bypasses. Petroleum (China), Occidental (US), Pampa
These will not be the first bypass lines for Energia (Argentina), Perenco (UK) and Repsol
SOTE and OCP. The operators of both systems (Spain). ™

NEWS IN BRIEF

UPSTREAM in early 2018, an indication of operational excel- Petroperu restarts operations at Pump Station 5,
lence, perseverance and teamwork. it will take approximately one week to complete
PetroTal provides is delivering a strong initial production profile, mence oil throughput in the Northern Peruvian
Robust Production from Well 9H: Well 9H the required inspections needed to fully recom-
operational update, says having averaged approximately 8,200 bpd over Pipeline (ONP).
Based on this forecast, it is still likely PetroTal
the last 10 days, and trending very close to the
oil production reaches performance of well 8H. will have to constrain production after Decem-
Well 10H Commences Drilling: PetroTal ber 16, 2021, for up to two weeks, to manage
20,000 bpd commenced drilling well 10H on December 11, storage capacity, at which time it expects to go
2021. This long-reach horizontal well is simi-
back to levels near 20,000 bpd.
PetroTal has provided the following updates. larly located to well 9H and is estimated to cost Brazilian Export Update: In November and
Achieved 20,000 bpd Production Level: $13.9mn with a targeted completion date in early December, PetroTal will export nearly 320,000
PetroTal has achieved a trailing 5-day uncon- February 2022. barrels of oil through the Brazil sales route.
strained production rate ending December 15, Settlement Framework Reached at Pump Commencing in January 2022, estimated Bra-
2021, of approximately 20,200 barrels per day Station 5: PetroTal advises that a joint frame- zilian oil exports will be approximately 240,000
(bpd) of oil. With wells 8H and 9H produc- work was reached between the communities, barrels monthly and expected to increase further
ing over 6,300 bpd and 8,200 bpd respectively, Ministry of Energy and Mines, and Petroperu, in Q2 2022.
PetroTal was able to achieve its long-standing that demonstrates trust and a commitment Manuel Pablo Zuniga-Pflucker, President
goal of exceeding 20,000 bpd much earlier than to ongoing dialogue, which has resulted in and CEO, commented: “We are very pleased
anticipated and previously guided. PetroTal the expected return of Pump Station 5 back to at the progress made at Pump Station 5 and the
has reached this milestone only four years after Petroperu on December 16, 2021, as a gesture demonstration of trust and goodwill shown by
commencing operations at the Bretaña oilfield of goodwill toward longer-term solutions. Once the communities.

Week 50 16•December•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13