Conflicting reports emerged on Monday and over the weekend
regarding Argentine oil company Pluspetrol’s future in Peru. The oil company
has been the subject of repeated protests by local Peruvian communities, one of
which turned violent late last week, leaving one protester dead and many others
injured.
The Wall
Street Journal reported on a deal supposedly brokered by the Peruvian
government for Pluspetrol to leave Pichanaki, the area of the violent protests,
ending the oil company’s exploration operations in the area. An Argentine
news outlet provided additional context for the decision, explaining that
Peruvian Energy and Mining minister Eleodoro Mayorga announced that the Peruvian
government had officially asked Pluspetrol to end its operations in this part
of Peru.
However, on Monday, conflicting reports began to emerge.
According to Peruvian business journal Gestión,
Pluspetrol confirmed that it would continue operating in Lot 108, the area in
question, as the Peruvian government had made no motion to modify the legal and
contractual situation governing Pluspetrol’s operations. The Argentine oil
company emphasized that it has followed all legal, environment, and social
requirements to operate in Peru, and wants to keep working and investing in
Peru. With this statement, Pluspetrol has made clear that it will not simply
forfeit its rights and investment without compensation.
To provide some context to the growing media storm
surrounding Pluspetrol’s operations in Peru, leading Peruvian newspaper La
Republica published a feature-length piece detailing and exploring the
damages that Pluspetrol’s operations have inflicted on the Peruvian Amazon. According
to the report, Pluspetrol is currently fighting in court to avoid paying 39.4
million soles in fines for environmental infractions that the oil company is
accused of committing. La Republica’s report very clearly takes the side of
Loreto’s indigenous people, providing historical background to their claims and
protests against Pluspetrol.
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