“If this situation continues, the country’s oil production will be suspended in less than 48 hours, as vandalism, oil well seizures and road closures prevent the transfer of supplies and diesel needed to maintain it,” the ministry said. Energy in a press release he made public.
Oil production in Ecuador is now at a “critical level” and will stop completely within 48 hours if mass mobilizations and blockades continue in the Andean country, the Ministry of Energy announced yesterday Sunday.
“If this situation continues, the country’s oil production will be suspended in less than 48 hours, as vandalism, oil well seizures and road closures prevent the transfer of supplies and diesel needed to maintain it,” the ministry said. Energy in a press release he made public.
“Oil production is at a critical juncture,” after nearly two weeks of protests over rising living costs, with indigenous people in the front line setting up roadblocks, blocking roads and protesting in 19 of its 24 provinces. country, according to the same source.
“Today, the figures show a reduction of more than 50%” in the production of black gold, which as of June 12 amounted to about 520,000 barrels per day.
Ecuador has large deposits of hydrocarbons, concentrated in the provinces of the Amazon; oil is its main export.
Some 14,000 people, the vast majority of whom are indigenous, have risen across the country, protesting against rising living costs and mainly demanding a reduction in fuel prices. Police estimate that about 10,000 of them are in the capital.
Shortages are already being reported in Quito, where prices have soared and several markets remain closed.
Five people have been killed in violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement, according to human rights NGOs. About 500 others have been injured – civilians, police and military – according to various sources.
On Sunday, “the total economic losses, in the public productive sector, such as the oil sector, and in the private sector, amounted to $ 500 million,” said Production Minister Julio Jose Prado.
“Every extra day off (of production) means that 40 to 50 million dollars are lost,” Mr. Prado added.
“In the dairy industry, there is a loss of 8.5 million liters of milk, worth $ 13 million. “In the agricultural and livestock sectors, the damage exceeds $ 90 million,” he said, referring to the “extreme crisis in the poultry sector”, which is dying en masse or being slaughtered due to lack of food.
“In the field of flower growing, the 12-day shutdown” of the activity caused “lost revenue of $ 30 million”, not counting “damage to trucks and flower crops”. The tourism sector is also hit hard, with “cancellations around 80%” and losses “amounting to at least $ 50 million”.
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