The General Manager of EP Petroecuador, Pablo Flores and the United States Ambassador, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, made a technical tour of the San Rafael sector, to verify the progress of construction work on the new variant of the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System. (SOTE).
During the tour they verified the erosion that affects the area and that put the integrity of the SOTE at risk, and for this reason it was decided to build the variant with which the pipe will move between 200 and 400 meters from the banks of the River.
The General Manager stated that “the SOTE works have a progress of 95% and it is estimated that they will conclude next Sunday, June 7th. Crude exports have not been affected, since there is sufficient stock to meet international crude oil commitments . ”
The Ambassador's visit is given as part of the technical assistance offered by the United States Government to Ecuador and the public oil company, on geological and environmental remediation issues.
In this regard, the diplomat stated that "we provide technical advice to the Government and the public company to confront this natural phenomenon and protect the environment, as well as support the economy of Ecuador . "
The new variant that is being built in the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE) has an extension of approximately 1,100 meters and consists of two sections, the first of 380 meters in length, located in the Marker River sector and the other of 690 meters, located in the El Chicharron sector. Once the work is completed, the oil pumping operations will resume.
