Western Venezuela to stay dark in August: minister
A blackout affecting nearly all of oil-rich Zulia state will likely persist through at least the end of August, Venezuela's electricity ministry says.
Maracaibo is the headquarters of state-owned oil company PdV's western division, which is producing around 300,000 b/d of crude, roughly a quarter of the nation´s total. Venezuelan oil production has been in a steep downward spiral for more than a year.
A PdV western division executive tells Argus that the blackout has caused major disruptions that could further erode output.
Now in its fourth consecutive day, the blackout was caused by a 10 August fire on part of a 230kV power transmission system attached beneath the 5.5mi (8.6km) General Rafael Urdaneta bridge spanning Lake Maracaibo near the city of Maracaibo.
The government says the blackout was caused by sabotage, an assertion privately rejected by officials of state-owned utility Corpoelec.
PdV has not issued any statements regarding its Maracaibo operations, including several joint ventures it operates with foreign partners on the lake's western coastline.
The company's plans to reactivate thousands of wells in the region will probably be delayed for months because of the blackout, the western division executive said.
Electricity minister general Luis Motta said today that Zulia's blackout would end by 31 August if Corpoelec repairs two underwater circuits consisting of seven transmission lines with a combined 230kV of capacity between the Punta de Palmas and La Peonia substations. These circuits have been out of service since December 2017, according to Corpoelec.
Repairing the transmission lines and related circuitry that connect Zulia to the rest of Venezuela could take several months, Motta said.
"Over 100m of transmission lines destroyed by the fire that saboteurs caused on the bridge must be replaced," Motta said.
Corpoelec is also trying to repair a third 400kV transmission system that crosses the lake on towers and has been down since first quarter 2018.
Before the bridge fire, Corpoelec was already rationing power across Zulia state for up to 18 hours a day because nearly 3GW of thermal power plants in the state are operating at less 15pc of capacity, according to Corpoelec.
A disgruntled senior Corpoelec official tells Argus that the government is "deliberately understating" the damage caused by the fire.
"The fire on the Lake Maracaibo bridge wasn't suppressed completely until almost 14 hours after it was first reported last Friday, and as of today (13 August) the site of the blaze is still so hot because of the melted asphalt road surface that Corpoelec transmission experts have not been able to conduct a thorough inspection and damage assessment," the official said.
"Over 6.2 miles of new transmission lines are needed, not of the patchwork repairs Motta is offering," the official added. "Corpoelec doesn't have the transmission cable in stock nor the dollars to import the cable, which means that the blackout could continue for months."
The government reopened a single eastbound lane of the heavily transited four-lane Lake Maracaibo bridge early yesterday after fire inspectors said a nearly 200m stretch of melted asphalt surface on two westbound lanes had cooled sufficiently to allow safe transit. But traffic in both directions "is backed up for miles beyond the bridge entrance on both sides of the lake," a Zulia state government official said.
People who normally use buses to transit the bridge are now hiring small fishing boats to cross the lake, but there aren't enough boats to handle the demand, the official added.
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Pemex bajo presión para mantener refinación alta
Pemex bajo presión para mantener refinación alta
Mexico City, 7 May (Argus) — La refinación de crudo de Pemex, propiedad estatal de México, en marzo alcanzó sus niveles más altos en casi ocho años antes de las elecciones presidenciales del 2 de junio, pero la empresa podría enfrentarse a desafíos para mantener niveles de refinadoaltos en los próximos meses. Las seis refinerías nacionales de Pemex procesaron más de 1 millón b/d de crudo en marzo por primera vez desde junio de 2016, impulsadas por el progreso en la rehabilitación de las refinerías y una disminución de las exportaciones de crudo para alimentar el sistema de refinación. El presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador busca reducir las importaciones de combustible en su último año en el cargo, en línea con su promesa de campaña de volver a México más independiente en energía. Sin embargo, los niveles de proceso de crudo podrían disminuir en abril-mayo después de que se produjeran incendios en las refinerías Minatitlán y Salina Cruz a finales de abril. Además, las refinerías de Salina Cruz (330,000 b/d) y Tula (315,000 b/d), las más grandes de México, siguen batallando con una producción elevada de combustóleo con alto contenido de azufre, lo que limita las capacidades de las refinerías para operar a altas tasas simultáneamente. Pemex lleva mucho tiempo luchando con la elevada producción de combustóleo, ya que México produce principalmente crudo pesado, lo que crea una serie de desafíos operativos. El combustóleo suele ocupar valioso espacio de almacenamiento necesario para productos de mayor valor, lo que puede limitar la producción de combustibles más ligeros. Las exportaciones récord de combustóleo en marzo, impulsadas por un aumento de la demanda en la costa del Golfo de EE. UU. después de los reacondicionamientos de la refinería, permitieron a Pemex elevar las operaciones en ambas refinerías simultáneamente. Sin embargo, el problema podría volver a afectar a Pemex en los próximos meses cuando la demanda de combustóleo disminuya y la empresa se vea obligada a almacenar el producto. Pemex está construyendo unidades de coquización en ambas refinerías para resolver este problema, pero no se espera que la unidad de Tula comience a funcionar hasta al menos finales de año, mientras que la unidad de coquización de Salina Cruz comenzaría a finales de 2025. Mientras tanto, la refinería Cadereyta de 275.000 b/d podría compensar parcialmente una disminución en el procesamiento de crudo en Tula y Salina Cruz, ya que su configuración le permite producir menos combustóleo, una fuente familiarizada con las operaciones de Pemex ha dicho a Argus . Las tasas de refinación de Pemex comenzaron a caer en 2014 después de que la administración anterior decidiera depender menos de la producción nacional y centrarse en abrir el mercado de la energía, antes hermético a inversiones externas. En cambio, López Obrador invirtió al menos $3.7 mil millones en mantenimiento para las refinerías antiguas de Pemex de 2019-2023, excluyendo proyectos importantes como las coquizadoras en construcción, además de $17 mil millones para la nueva refinería Olmeca. Cambios en el flujo de crudo y combustible Los mayores niveles de refinación de Pemex han disminuido el flujo de crudo y combustible entre México y EE. UU., y el arranque de Olmeca podría alterar aún más los flujos. Pemex redujo sus importaciones de gasolina y diésel en 25pc a 419,000 b/d en marzo, comparado con 562,000 b/d el año pasado, como resultado de un mejor rendimiento de las refinerías. Las exportaciones de crudo de México cayeron un 29pc hasta un mínimo histórico de 687,000 b/d en marzo, por una menor producción y mayores niveles de refinación. El flujo de crudo y combustible entre México y EE. 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Pero la candidata del partido gobernante Claudia Sheinbaum lidera la votación con doble dígito y se espera que continúe el proyecto actual del gobierno para reforzar Pemex y aumentar los niveles de refinación de la empresa. Por Antonio Gozain Exportaciones de crudo, importaciones de combustible de Pemex ’000 b/d Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US set to resume crude purchases for SPR
US set to resume crude purchases for SPR
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Brazil state faces power outages after record flood
Brazil state faces power outages after record flood
Sao Paulo, 6 May (Argus) — Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state is facing power outages following record floods that killed more than 80 people and forced over 130,000 people out of their homes. The extreme weather took three substations, 25 transmission lines, five hydroelectric plants and 11 power transformers off line, according to grid operator ONS. In response, ONS started importing power from neighboring Uruguay and requested that the 250MW hybrid natural gas and diesel Canoas and 345MW coal-fired Pampa Sul power plants increase power generation. Earlier today, an estimated 435,000 consumers did not have electricity. The rains affected 341 of the 497 cities in the state, where the government declared a state of emergency in 336 municipalities. The government is working to re-establish power to the state as quickly as possible, the mines and energy ministry said in a social media post. The ministry also held an emergency meeting early yesterday and today to guarantee fuel supplies in the state . State capital Porto Alegre is expected to receive more rain later this week, according to Rio Grande do Sul-based weather forecaster MetSul. Metsul warned that parts of the Porto Alegre metropolitan area could remain uninhabitable for weeks or months. Brazil's airline association Abear said that the Salgado Filho international airport will remain closed indefinitely, after the airport's runway flooded. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Panama's new president faces copper, canal issues
Panama's new president faces copper, canal issues
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