(Reuters, Marco Aquino, 30.Nov.2018) — Canada’s Frontera Energy Corp could be forced to halt operations in Peru’s largest oil block if a key pipeline ruptured amid indigenous protests is not promptly repaired, state oil company Petroperu said on Friday.
The pipeline, in a remote corner of Peru’s Amazon, was attacked earlier this week in protests over municipal election results, causing it to spew thousands of gallons, Petroperu said.
The rupture has already forced Frontera to slash production by 12,000 barrels of crude daily, Manuel Ugaz, manager for Petroperu subsidiary Oleoducto Peru, told reporters.
“If the problem isn’t immediately solved, either with a provisional repair or a permanent one, Frontera will need to shut down production at all its wells,” Ugaz said.
Frontera did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Frontera operates Block 192, an oil-rich concession in the Amazon with reserves of 100 million barrels of petroleum. The company’s contract expires in 2019.
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