Petroecuador supplies block 16 by air to maintain operation

Petroecuador supplies block 16 by air to maintain the oil operation and supply the personnel, due to the closure of access roads to the facilities by the Waorani community of Dicaro.

The oil company reported this Monday, January 9, 2023, of this air logistics that it applies to transport inputs for production, chemicals, oils and food to this block located in the province of Orellana.

Petrolia, the company in charge of block 16, confirms the peaceful takeover of Estación Pompeya, but says that order is being restored, calm

Protests are not new. The same company explained that the closure of access roads to the southern facilities of the block is caused by the strike that the indigenous community has maintained since the beginning of December “in response to demands that were not attended to by the private operator, whose contract ended on December 31. of 2022”.

And it is that the state oil company began operations on January 1, 2023 and for this it incorporated the personnel required for the continuity of the operation, extended contracts and is including local labor, as provided by law, after the decision of reverse taken by the Government and notified to the public company by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Meanwhile, the measure taken by the Waorani Dicaro community received the support of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), which posted on its Twitter account that the protesters remain in a 13-day strike that denounces threats from Petroecuador officials about the militarization of its territory.

They also ensure that 77% of the Waorani population in block 16 has pathologies associated with water contamination.

In a statement posted by Conaie, the Waorani Dicaro community recalled that since 2022 they have maintained a peaceful resistance in their territory, demanding that the State make the entire Repsol-Petrolia operation in block 16 transparent.

In addition, to initiate legal and administrative actions for the alleged violations of the rights of the Waorani people affected by the Repsol-Petrolia company, according to the statement.

The community also requests that Petroecuador deliver the information on the entire operation and plans of the state company in block 16, as well as the possible benefits that the continuity of oil exploitation will represent for the community.

Different fates will have concessions for blocks 16 and 67 and that of the OCP, whose contracts expire in 2022 and 2023

“Since 1985, when oil exploitation began in Dicaro, until today, none of the companies have respected the right of the people of Dicaro to prior, free and informed consultation. To this day, the community is unaware of the environmental impact studies, community relations plans, environmental licenses,” said the community, which assured that it was through the media and third parties that they found out that the private company that operated block 16 already had another name and that it was withdrawn from the place. (YO)