(Energy Analytics Institute, 27.Jun.2016, Clifford Fingers III) – The TranEcuadorian Oil Pipeline (SOTE by its Spanish acronym) was inaugurated on June 26, 1972 with a capacity to transport 250,000 barrels per day. During its active life, the pipeline has transported 4,750 million barrels of oil, EP PetroEcuador announced in an official statement on its website.
Later work on the pipeline allowed the company to expand the pipeline’s capacity from 250,000 barrels per day to 300,000 barrels per day in 1987; to 325,000 barrels per day in 1992; and 360,000 barrels per day in 2000, reported the company, citing PetroEcuador General Manager Pedro Merizalde Pavón.
The pipeline starts at Lago Agrio in the eastern region of Ecuador and spans 497 kilometers to the Balao Maritime terminal in the Esmeraldas province. The pipeline is under constant surveillance by PetroEcuador via its SCADA system and an estimated 381 technicians, all of them from Ecuador, work to maintain the pipeline in operation and perform maintenance when necessary.
Recent earthquakes have not affected the pipeline’s terminals or transport infrastructure, according to PetroEcuador.
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