Frontera Energy restarts production in Peru after pipeline repairs

Canada-based crude oil exploration company Frontera Energy has completed repairs on the NorPeruano pipeline in Peru and started production from Block 192, located more than 200km from the incident.

Current production of the block is 2,910bpd and is expected to continue to exceed 9,000bpd.

The contract is now anticipated to be extended to at least next February with the resumption of production at the block.

Last month, the operator of the NorPeruano pipeline, Petroperú has notified the company of a force majeure event affecting a part of the pipeline, resulting from an attack at Kilometre 237 near pump station 5 of the North Branch Pipeline located in the Manseriche district.

Frontera Energy said: “The pipeline was repaired, but as part of an ongoing community dispute, local residents were not permitting Petroperú to conduct activities necessary to resume pumping oil through the pipeline.”

Effective 1 July, the company started to shut down production from Block 192 as it is located near the site of the incident.

Last December, Frontera Energy stopped oil production at Block 192 oilfield following a rupture in a 1,100km pipeline, which was caused by indigenous protesters.

The rupture occurred 200km in the Morona district from the Block 192 oilfield.

As a crude oil and natural gas supplier, Frontera Energy has its operations focused on Latin America. It has interests in more than 30 exploration and production blocks in Colombia and Peru.

Last October, the company announced a light oil discovery from its Acorazado-1 exploration well on its fully owned and operated Llanos-25 block in Colombia.