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CEO Vicki Hollub stressed this point, declaring the framework of a wider effort to optimise its
that the firm intended to continue working with portfolio. “Occidental has announced over $2bn
Colombia’s national oil company (NOC). of divestitures in 2020 that are expected to close
“Occidental has operated in Colombia, in by year-end and continues to advance additional
partnership with Ecopetrol, for more than 40 asset sales,” it said.
years and is honoured to remain a key partner The Houston-based firm is working to pay
in driving the country’s energy evolution. We down debts, following its $38bn acquisition of
have expanded our strategic partnership with Anadarko Petroleum, another US company,
Ecopetrol to the onshore US and to explora- in 2019. Occidental’s CEO Vicki Hollub has
tion blocks offshore Colombia. These highly drawn criticism for the takeover, which left it
prospective offshore blocks hold tremendous heavily loaded with debt ahead of this year’s
potential that could significantly bolster the oil price crash. Even before crude markets cra-
country’s energy resources,” she commented. tered, though, activist investor Carl Icahn, a
In its statement, the company explained that shareholder in the company, blasted it as too
it was unloading the Colombian assets within expensive. ™

PERU
Peruvian activists occupy ONP facility

INDIGENOUS activists in Peru have begun registered more than 800,000 cases of COVID-
occupying facilities belonging to state-con- 19, the second-highest number in Latin Amer-
trolled Northern Oil Pipeline (ONP), demand- ica and the sixth-highest globally.
ing better healthcare and social benefits in the ONP’s pipeline takes crude from the north-
face of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. ern jungle of Peru to Petroperú’s refinery on the
A group of approximately 200 activists Pacific coast. The company’s Station 5 was also
blocked the entrance of ONP’s Station 5 just taken over by protesters in August in a series of
after midnight on September 28, Petroperú said events that caused damage to infrastructure, the
in a press statement. It added that it had already firm said.
evacuated its personnel from the facility in the For decades, there has been friction between
face of threats from a group known as the Indig- oil companies and indigenous groups in Peru. In
enous Peoples of the Marañón-Loreto Dátem 2011, the South American state introduced the
against oil installations. landmark prior consultation law, giving indig-
The company also warned about the “seri- enous groups the right to have a say in official
ous dangers to which the protesters have been decisions that could affect the land on which
exposed.” It pointed out that the demonstrators their communities live.
were “stationed inside a high-risk industrial Then in January of this year, the country’s
facility [and] very close to the oil tanks.” ONP judiciary requested a ban on exploration and
personnel entering these areas are barred from development activities in a region inhabited
engaging in activities that could spike ignition, mostly by indigenous groups, many of which
such as the use of mobile phones, it added. have long opposed the development of oil and
Petroperú also said the activists were put- gas projects on their land. Subsequently, a Peru-
ting the members of the security staff who vian judge subsequently ruled that Lima had to
have remained in the facility at risk of infection bar upstream operations in the region, which is
because they are not wearing masks. Peru has near the border with Brazil. ™

Protesters occupied ONP’s Station 5 (Image: Petroperú)

Week 40 08•October•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P15