Venezuela´s state-owned PdV repaired a ruptured pipeline running from the Junin section of the Orinoco heavy oil belt to upgraders on the coast, a senior company official told Argus today.
The 280,000 b/d line running from the Cabrutica tank farm to the Jose industrial complex ruptured on 1 November and was fixed by 4 November, the official said, adding that the company is still cleaning up an unspecified volume of spilled oil.
In the process of repairing the line, PdV detected a second breach and is carrying out further inspections, the official said.
The strategic pipeline carries crude diluted with naphtha from PetroCedeno and Petro San Felix, formerly known as PetroAnzoategui, and early production from newer Orinoco projects, to a system of four upgraders in Jose.
Neither wellhead production nor synthetic crude production from the upgraders was impacted by the pipeline outage, thanks to storage at either end, the official said.
PetroCedeno is a joint venture between controlling partner PdV, France´s Total (30.3pc) and Norway´s Statoil (9.7pc). PetroCedeno has a capacity to produce 200,000 b/d of crude which yields around 180,000 b/d of 32°API synthetic crude, plus 6,000 t/d of petroleum coke and 900 t/d of sulphur.
PdV has 100pc of Petro San Felix, which has a capacity to produce 120,000 b/d of crude and 108,000 b/d of 22°API synthetic crude.
PetroPiar, PdV´s joint venture with 30pc partner Chevron, was not affected because it is located more than 100km away in the Ayacucho section of the Orinoco oil belt. PetroPiar is scheduled for a major 45-day turnaround in September-October 2017, the PdV official said.
Minor maintenance is planned at Petro San Felix and PetroMonagas, PdV´s joint venture with Russia´s Rosneft, ahead of larger turnarounds in 2018, the official said.
It is still unclear how much oil was spilled in the pipeline incident or what caused it, but PdV has tightened security around the area amid a flurry of social media images posted by opposition lawmakers and other critics claiming to illustrate widespread impact in the remote area.
Other PdV officials have said the rupture was caused by a chronic lack of maintenance by the cash-strapped company.
