The two huge steel balls of 3200 tons of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) each which are located at the top of the sector Chaullabamba, in Cuenca, and which pose a risk of sinking, will be transferred in the coming months to the terminal sector of El Chorrillo, five kilometers from Pascuales, in the province of Guayas.

María Elisa Soledispa, director of Petroecuador, He indicated that from the beginning of his administration, he prioritized solving the constructive problems at this terminal and ordered the immediate start of these works for contracting the dismantling, transfer and assembly of LPG balls. The contract that was signed at the beginning of February this year with delivery time of 510 days, costing the company $19.5 million. The company that will perform the transfer is Puma Oil.

This transfer operation will be the first of its kind in the country’s history. According to Petroecuador Transportation Management, the process consists of:

Besides the novelty of the process, Petroecuador had to make this transfer, after the construction failures of the Brazilian company Odebrecht. The problem with the balls is that the construction company Odebrecht did not carry out the necessary soil studies, and after the construction of the gas balls, the land began to sink, the Transport Administration explains.

After the spheres were built, underground springs were found that weakened these soils and caused subsidence. Internal studies have been carried out which have determined that the best option for this infrastructure is to move it to Chorrillos, where other gas storage infrastructure is located.

IN December 2018, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), through the consulting firm ABS, he reported unevenness of 25 to 30 centimeters and cracks of 5 to 7 centimeters in the floor of gas storage areas and gasoline and diesel tanks.

Five significant projects of the previous government are working half-heartedly, with failures or none at all:

  • Five significant projects of the previous government are working half-heartedly, with failures or none at all

He also warned of collapsed slopes, the presence of water around tanks, unsupported sections of pipes and displacement of pipes due to slope movement and soil imbalances.

During the physical inspection, he also noticed the sliding of the slopes and the cracking of the platforms where the liquefied petroleum gas balls, gasoline tanks, shipping islands and control and administrative buildings are located.

Regarding the progress of the current transfer process, Petroecuador indicated that since the beginning of the contract, last February, until today, the contractor has submitted documents of personnel who will intervene in service, transition to work, documentation and mobilization of equipment, adaptation of the sphere area where the crane will be installed, construction of canals to drain water from heavy rains, among other things.

Soledispa also explained that after the earthquake of March 18, 2023, operations were preventively paralyzed and the infrastructure was inspected with topographic and instrumental monitoring readings, in order to know the existing shifts in the area of ​​the spheres. At the moment, the reception and dispatch of fuel is taking place normally in this facility.

In addition, the state oil company manages the contracting of an update of the slope stability study taking into account the current situation of the facility, which will allow the analysis, through geophysical and geotechnical investigations, of the soil condition to determine and define the stabilization works required after the removal of the spheres.

In the sector where the Chaullabamba spheres are located, a work built by Odebrecht, subsidence has occurred. Kindness Photo: Space

By transferring the spheres, the original plan for which the 215-kilometer long Pascuales-Cuenca oil pipeline was created and which was supposed to transport gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas, which directly benefits the provinces of Azuay, Azogues, El Oro, Cañar, Morona Santiago, Loja, Zamora. Then gas will no longer be transported by polyduct, but by tanker trucks.

Oil expert Miguel Robalino points out that it is an investment of more than 600 million dollars and believes that if they plan to relocate, it should be in the same area of ​​Cuenca. He explains that, logically, a serious study must be carried out, especially about the soils, in order to fulfill the goal and raison d’être of the polyduct, that is to transport it safely, quickly and efficiently. And he says that, from a supply perspective, this infrastructure had a mission to help cover the central and southern zones in gas matters for the country.

On this subject, the Department of Transport indicated that indeed this multi-channel pipeline transport process no longer exists, particularly in the La Troncal-Cuenca section. However, this is the best option found, especially knowing that in a few more years the demand for fuels (gasoline and diesel) will increase and the gas pipeline will not have enough capacity to continue transporting gas, in which case the spheres would be useless again.

The construction of the Pascuales-Cuenca pipeline was awarded in the government of Rafael Correa to Odebrecht for $369.9 million, but the cost rose to $623 million. Work on the polyducts, which has been hit by a corruption case involving $5 million in bribes from Odebrecht, has faced an emergency since 2018, due to faults in the ground and slopes of the Cuenca terminal.

according to a audit conducted by the controller and approved in January 2020. it was determined that the construction company Norberto Odebrecht did not establish, through complementary analyzes with the studies and projects submitted by Petroecuador, cSoil condition and load capacity of platforms. He did not even create a final project that would solve the shifting of the slopes.

Too bad they are caused by water leakage and platform thrust the upper over the lower ones, which move and destabilize all structures towards the lower part of the terminal, endangering the safety of industries and homes located in the sector.

To correct defects Petroecuador has invested $70,767,470 in studies, investigations and mitigation work, but they have not provided definitive solutions to the deficiencies. For an audit, failure to meet contractual objectives indicates that the use of those resources is not justified.

from his sidethe construction inspector for the polyduct breached his obligations by not demanding Odebrecht which uses advanced techniques and efficient methods in the construction and reconstruction of slopes, in order to solve instability in slopes and soil.