2024-07-21 05:05:10
Ecuador’s daily national oil production fell to 292,241 barrels on June 30, 2024, marking a loss of 8,319 barrels in a single day. This decrease is attributed to the theft of cables in the Auca field, one of the most productive areas in the country.
Until May of this year, the national production average was 390,000 barrels per day, which means that Ecuador has stopped producing about 100,000 barrels per day for various reasons.
Theft and climate affect oil production in Ecuador
Petroecuador reported that in the early hours of June 30, armed individuals broke into the Auca 51 platform, in the Auca field, Block 61, Orellana province. During the assault, the workers were subdued while the criminals stole their belongings and the operating cables. The state-owned company immediately reported the incident to the authorities and requested assistance from the public force, reinforcing security at the site and ensuring the well-being of the employees.
Between June 21 and June 28 of this year, cable and equipment thefts were reported in Amazonian oil blocks 56, 49 and 61, resulting in a total loss of 175,790 barrels.
More problems for oil production
In addition to thefts, Ecuador faces other challenges in oil production. On June 17, Petroecuador had to stop some wells in blocks 43 – ITT, 16 and 67, located in the province of Orellana, due to the suspension of operations of the Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline (OCP) Ecuador, through which oil is transported. This suspension resulted in a daily loss of 37,000 barrels of crude oil.
The OCP has halted its activities due to the risk posed by the regressive erosion of the Coca River in the San Carlos area, El Chaco canton, in Napo. The company is currently building a temporary variant of its pipeline to resume activities, with the expectation of resuming operations in the first week of July 2024.