Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28 -- Ecuador's state-owned Petroecuador said it has lost some 5,000 bbl of oil output due to a continuing protest by local villagers that disrupted operations in Dayuma, Orellana Province.
Petroecuador said a set of protesters blocked a bridge on Nov. 25, while other militants forced their way into the Auca Sur station and electric plant, "demanding that operators shut down the entire oil power system, provoking disorder and acts of vandalism."
On Nov. 26, the company said, more protesters reached the Auca 61D well and used dynamite to disable a hydraulic pump, effectively shutting down the installation.
The villagers are demanding jobs, electricity, and paved roads. But Petroecuador, describing the occupation as a terrorist action, said it had already met the villagers' demands to improve basic public facilities in the district.
Meanwhile, the firm warned of adverse effects from the protest, saying that "production losses will go on increasing every hour" that the complex remains shut down. Normal daily production at the Auca Sur field is about 176,000 b/d.
In March a blockade by protesters in the Amazon region forced the company to cut oil exports by 36,000 b/d for about a week.
Ecuador produces around 500,000 b/d of oil, making it the fifth-largest producer in South America.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].