In its basic sense, natural gas is a hydrocarbon mixture of light gases of natural origin. It has become a very common tool due to the abundance of handling it has in everyday life, at least in China, Peru and Colombia they apply it, and the advantages are several, such as being easy to get and access or to use you only have to open the valve. It is an economical product for extraction and transport. It has a high calorific value and can be used in various devices, either for the production of hot water, heat, etc.

Some economics and hydrocarbon experts are uncertain about the use of natural gas, as misuse can cause explosions and a burst pipe would be fatal to people living nearby. However, with proper prevention, natural gas can make a person’s life easier.

The management of Petroecuador announces the tender for the Amistad field in the next few days

But, as is the custom in Ecuador, we have not yet decided to move towards development and are stuck in political battles, with projects backtracking, at the mercy of an inefficient bureaucracy. An example is the Amistad field, which has been waiting for its tender for years, and every minister of energy or competent manager of Petroecuador has offered to implement it. These days, during a technical visit to the offshore platform, the manager Ramón Correa indicated that the bidding process will begin for the contracting of specific integrated services for the Amistad field. For this, the public company has gathered technical, economic, contractual and environmental information, but the approval of Petroecuador’s board of directors is missing. It’s almost, but not yet.

The Amistad field produces 21.5 million cubic feet per day, but fails every year if the well is not maintained, commented Mario Esteban Espinosa, General Manager of Gasvesubio Export, and stated that the final solution is to put the Amistad field to tender. as soon as possible in order to extract 100 million cubic meters per day, which would be enough for public and private companies.

“Gas import requirements are not so easy to meet, and failure would affect the availability of the 230 MW Termogás Machal”: Gonzalo Uquillas

The delay in the tender has stalled the natural gas extraction process, and once it is started it will take two to three years to get the results. For Espinosa, if Gasvesubio had the raw material (natural gas from the Amistad field) it could be liquefied and sold to industries that consume diesel at high prices and which is harmful to the environment, while natural gas is a friend of the ecosystem. .

The benefit of natural gas, Espinosa pointed out, is huge. Together with her company, they proposed that natural gas be released through pipelines in Huaquillas and Tulcán, so that there would be no more smuggling in these border towns that occurs due to the use of gas bottles. “Ecuador should worry about the production of natural gas by competing for the Amistad field, and not by promoting the import of natural gas, only then would there be real development,” Espinosa emphasized.

And it is true, we have a hydrocarbon that is friendly to the environment and can help the weak Ecuadorian economy. We could develop industry without thinking about exploiting Yasuní-ITT, which would be fatal for nature and ancestral peoples. (OR)