On Thursday, Perupetro announced
a new initiative to shake up how it auctions off its oil fields in order to
make those fields more attractive to investors. Perupetro President Rafael
Zoeger explained during his inaugural address to the Peru Oil and Gas Congress
that Peru’s oil fields are spread over a very large geographical area, so if
they are split up, it should be easier for companies to explore and exploit the
oil. Next year, Peru will solicit
proposals for investment in six offshore fields and 26 fields in the Peruvian
Amazon.
Zoeger also believes
that there is great potential to find new oil reserves in Peru, but that it
will require additional hard work from the Peruvian oil industry. He told the
Oil and Gas Congress that, “The new scenario forces us to think in more
possibilities than in limitations and I am convinced Peru has a great potential
to discover new reserves, but potential, effort, commitment and conviction of
all those involved is required to realize such potential.”
In mining-related news, El
Comercio published an opinion piece by Jaime de Althaus warning that
Bolivia could exacerbate the social conflicts that have already wrought havoc
on the Peruvian mining industry. De Althaus explains that in order for Peru to
have any chance of fulfilling Peruvian presidential candidate Alan Garcia’s
promise of sustained economic growth above 5%, it must unlock the $24 billion
in frozen mining projects.
He notes however that the Bolivian government recently
invited the leaders of the Peruvian anti-mining protest movement to Bolivia,
and wants to incite a new continent-wide uprising against corporate interests.
De Althaus calls on the Peruvian government to forcibly denounce this interference
in Peruvian affairs by Bolivia.
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