Oil refinery in Peru
La Pampilla refinery is an oil refinery in Peru, under the administration of Grupo Repsol del Perú S.A.C. It is located on Néstor Gambetta Avenue in Ventanilla, Callao, and has a capacity to refine 117,000 barrels of oil per day,[1] which represents half of the country's refining production.
History
The construction of the refinery was put out to tender in 1964 and inaugurated in 1967,[2] built by Petroperú. In 1996, the refinery became part of Repsol[3] for around 180 million dollars, as part of the privatisation process carried out by former president Alberto Fujimori.
In 2014, the modernisation of the refinery began, estimated at US$740 million.[4] It is expected that with the modernization the sulfur content will be reduced to 50 (ppm) by 2016 as well as the improvement of other fuels by 2018.[5]
Oil spill
On January 15, 2022, and during the oil unloading process at the refinery, a crude oil spill occurred on the coast of the Ventanilla district, estimated at 6 thousand barrels of oil, aud thus affecting the flora and fauna of the Peruvian sea. It is considered the largest ecological disaster to occur on the Peruvian coast.[citation needed]
The actions of the refinery and its owner, Repsol, have been harshly criticised for the cleaning and decontamination work carried out after the spill,[6][7] reflecting the lack of a contingency plan for possible disasters.[8]
The government's response was the stoppage of activities in terminal No. 2 of the refinery, ordered by the OSINERGMIN [es],[9] and a fine amounting to 33.4 million dollars, as announced by the Minister of the Environment, Rubén Ramírez Mateo [es].[10]
See also
References
11°55′08″S 77°07′52″W / 11.919°S 77.131°W / -11.919; -77.131