Ecuador’s environmental ministry has temporarily revoked the environmental license for construction of the OCP heavy crude pipeline because of damage to the ecosystem in Guarumos, northwest of Quito, newspaper Expreso reported.
The OCP consortium has halted pipe laying in the area, and must now implement previously agreed steps to regain the licenses.
Heavy rains have cause landslides that in turn damaged embankments along the access road to the pipeline. The company will have to construct reinforcements and repair the barriers around the embankments near the access road.
The OCP pipeline has met opposition from local and international environmental groups, including Greenpeace, because one section passes through environmentally sensitive forests. Farmers in Orellana and Sucumbios provinces whose land the pipeline crosses have also forced construction to stop, and are demanding compensation.
Companies developing the OCP are Canada’s Alberta Energy, Spain’s Repsol-YPF, Argentina’s Pecom Energia and Techint, the US’ Occidental and Kerr-McGee, and Italy’s Agip.
Business News Americas (BNamericas.com)
