Ecuador shuts third pipeline dogged by erosion

PetroEcuador suspended operations on its 360,000 b/d Sote crude pipeline and its Shushufindi – Quito products pipeline to avoid the risk of damage from advancing river erosion.

The shutdowns follow the 8 December suspension of the 450,000 b/d OCP heavy crude pipeline owned by foreign oil producers.

The three pipelines, which run in parallel in the vulnerable Piedra Fina area of Napo province in the Amazon region, face the risk of rupture from erosion of the Quijos and Coca riverbeds.

In a sign of the growing risks, part of a highway that connects Quito with Lago Agrio that traverses the area collapsed today.

From January to October 2021, the 498km (309mi) Sote transported around 318,000 b/d to the Pacific coast terminal of Balao, according to PetroEcuador data. The products pipeline has a capacity of 10,800 b/d.

PetroEcuador said the suspensions will not affect Ecuador's oil exports or local fuel supply. But like the OCP, PetroEcuador did not give a date for a restart.

The company's chief executive Pablo Luna said the suspensions aim to safeguard the integrity of the infrastructure.

The firm is currently building a seventh pipeline bypass to mitigate risks.

This geological phenomenon started in early 2020, a few years after the 1.5GW Coca-Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant started to operate in the same region, raising speculation about a possible link. The US Army Corps of Engineers has been helping Ecuador to address the crisis.

By Alberto Araujo