The Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) ruled out that the temporary closure of the La Pampilla Refinery (Relapasa), operated by Repsol, could cause a fuel shortage in the local market in the short term.
During his presentation before the Energy and Mines Commission of Congress, the deputy minister in charge of Hydrocarbons, Jorge Chávez Cresta, admitted, however, that logistics problems could arise in the supply of oil derivatives because the Spanish-owned company supplies 40% of the market.
“According to reports from Repsol and Osinergmin, there is no threat of fuel shortages. But it is a situation, with the passing of days and if the company does not solve the requirements of OEFAit could happen,” said Chávez Cresta.
In this sense, the official referred that “it cannot be said that Repsol has nothing”, since it currently manages its own reserves, while the Minem makes forecasts of what could happen in the “worst scenario”.
“One of the contingency plans we have is to issue a resolution that authorizes the use of reserves (of Petroperú), to increase supply in response to the demand that may occur,” revealed the deputy minister.
Where the deputy minister did emphasize is Repsol’s participation, through landings in The Pampilla, in the market for Turbo A1 for aircraft, where it supplies 75% of the market, as well as Fuels for Ships (CE, ships) where it supplies 68% of the ships that anchor in our country. In the first case, he clarified that the company does have the resource in the tanks of its refinery, but cannot supply the vessel, now empty, responsible for distributing it to other vessels. Regarding jet fuel, he warned that Repsol does not have more than eleven days of stock left.
“It will be a bit difficult for Petroperú to compensate for that demand (…) We are presenting effects that could be met by Repsol if this loading and unloading closure continues, which could generate a shortage of fuels that would not only affect Lima, but in the south of the country, the great percentage of distribution is held by this company”, he stated.
Along these lines, the head of the Hydrocarbons portfolio explained that the programming of an efficient import can take from 20 to 30 days, so “there is a risk of running out of fuel before a shipment can be received.
“We are not questioning the resolution and actions of OEFA, but we ask to take into consideration the impact that could have with the supply (for ships and planes), which is the responsibility of the Minem line,” he said.
Minem: turn to other countries
Vice Minister Jorge Chávez indicated that another possibility in the worst case scenario would be to buy oil derivatives from other countries in the region, to provide some support for the release of oil reserves. Petroperu.
“If it is the case that this measure is continued (closure of La Pampilla), the technical capacity of resorting to other companies to address the national fuel gap is evaluated. If it stays for a long time, there are nearby markets like Colombia and Ecuador”, he specified.
“Hydrocarbon prices are being coordinated in this region,” he remarked.
Minem: strengthen Petroperú
Along these lines, Chávez Cresta recalled the importance of having a strong counterpart on the part of the State to alleviate possible shortages or problems of distribution and production of oil fuels. For this reason, he confirmed that “political and regulatory aspects” must be changed to encourage the exploration and use of lots from Petroperú, since currently our country only uses “four of its entire hydrocarbon potential.”
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“This is linked to the possibility of changing the rules to promote Petroperú, without intervening in free competition or going against the market, and that it may, as an organ of the Peruvian State, have a greater participation through the activation of the Talara refinery”, said the deputy minister.
“It is an issue that we have to take through this Commission (of Energy and Mines), to establish the corresponding policy and not have this dependency (on the private sector), which is a kind of being tied to what can be carried or not during the distribution”, he sentenced.
Source: Larepublica
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