A statement from the enterprise the low water level in the Napo River has affected the normal supply of fuel in the fields located in that area and “as a consequence of this shortage, wells have been shut down and production has been reduced by some 4,300 barrels of oil per day”.

Petroecuador further explained that the weather conditions make it impossible to forecast when the river level will swell to normal, allowing for the recovery of fuel supply.

The abnormal weather pushed to a halt the Esmeraldas refinery, the largest in this South American nation.

On August 15, President Daniel Noboa ordered the Ministry of Energy and Mines to take action to prevent damages from the drought, mainly in the oil drilling sector.

That same day, Minister of Energy, Antonio Gonçalves, confirmed that the dry season is already hitting the main reservoirs, located in the Eastern basin of Ecuador.

Ied/lam/nta