Petroperu denounces “new attack” against oil pipeline in Amazon region

A “new attack” against the Norperuvian Oil Pipeline (ONP) was registered this Thursday at kilometer 399+861 of Section II, in the province of Bagua, in the northern region of Amazonas, the state-owned company Petroperu informed today.

According to a press release, the new emergency, “a consequence of an intentional cut to the pipeline made by third parties, has been registered near the place of the other attacks that this infrastructure has been receiving”.

Faced with the situation, the company immediately activated its contingency plan, and the workers placed a bolted clamp, managing to contain the hydrocarbon leak.

Containment bars were also placed to prevent the expansion of the crude oil in the surrounding areas.

They also proceeded to close the valve located at kilometer 406 of Section II, which has been paralyzed since June 7, 2022, due to the “pumping stoppage due to contingencies that occurred in Section I”.

Petroperu indicated that it had filed complaints before the respective authorities, such as the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Environmental Matters of Bagua and the Provincial Criminal Prosecutor’s Office of Condorcanqui, and informed entities such as the Environmental Evaluation and Inspection Agency (OEFA) of what happened.

The Peruvian state-owned company informed last January 31 that after an attack registered on January 14 at the ONP at kilometer 390 of Section II, it placed metal clamps to contain the leak, to “recover the spilled hydrocarbon and to clean the affected area”.

Likewise, Petroperú was forced on January 23 to evacuate its personnel and those contractors at ONP Station 5 due to “threats of seizure of facilities” by leaders and inhabitants of the communities of the district of Manseriche.

Shortly after, he warned via Twitter that the Norperuano oil pipeline was still in danger since the inhabitants participating in the protests against it “put their own lives and those of nearby families at risk”.

A text explained that the seizure of these installations would have been adopted in response to demands for “the attention of the projects of the Gap Closure Plan for the population of the so-called oil circuit”.

On Thursday, the Peruvian state-owned company reiterated its call to “cease these attacks that have an impact on the environment but also on the communities and their surroundings”.

Meanwhile, it asked the authorities in charge of the investigations to “find those responsible for these criminal acts that attempt against this Critical National Asset, which must be protected to guarantee a safe and sustained operation of hydrocarbon transportation”.