OCP will resume operations on December 31, after completing the construction of the bypass in the Piedra Fina sector

A week ahead of schedule, the company Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados ​​(OCP) Ecuador completed the construction of the bypass in the Piedra Fina sector, in Napo. The work is a solution to transport crude oil, after the damage caused by the regressive erosion of the Napo River.

Initially, the firm had planned to finish the first week of January 2022; however, the works were advanced. Now, OCP announced that it will restart operations on December 31. The bypass is approximately four kilometers long.

“We have made an effort and we have restored the service a week earlier than planned, since our commitment to the country is what moves us,” said Roberto Grijalva, operations manager of OCP Ecuador. In addition, he stressed that they achieved the objective in the shortest time, despite the climatic conditions that affected the construction and accelerated the advance of the erosion process in the area.

Due to the natural phenomenon, on December 8, the company stopped pumping crude oil and drained the pipeline until it was empty. Likewise, a 24-hour supervision was maintained at the site, defining 28 monitoring lines along the edge of the erosion.

In addition, it was reported that the crude reception activities at the Amazonas Station, in Lago Agrio, will begin 24 hours after the pumping restarts. In this way, the oil fields will be able to resume their activities and production will be able to gradually recover.

The first export of Napo crude is scheduled for January 3, 2022, through the company’s maritime terminal, located in Esmeraldas.

“At OCP Ecuador we have spared no resources to resume service. This effort made by our personnel and contractor is a sign of the commitment we have with the country to reactivate the national production of crude oil, ”said the official. (I)