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January 27, 2012
Venezuela’s PDVSA Boosts Production in Orinoco Oil
Belt
“Current production in the [Orinoco Oil] Belt is at
1.158 million barrels per day between the areas of Carabobo,
Ayacucho, Junín and Bocayá,” Venezuela’s
oil and energy minister, Rafael Ramírez, said on Tuesday.
The announcement came after a meeting of the Supreme Organ
for the Monitoring of the Oil Belt Plan at the headquarters
of Petrocedeño, a joint venture under the Venezuelan
oil firm PDVSA, located in the northeastern state of Anzoátegui.
The meeting included members of of PDVSA’s board of
directors and representatives of the firms operating in the
Orinoco Oil Belt.
Among the issues discussed was the current availability of
active drills dedicated exclusively to the development of
new production areas in Carabobo and Junín, which today
contribute 430,000 barrels and 265,000 barrels of oil respectively
to overall production in the Orinoco Oil Belt and finance
PDVSA’s diverse activities.
One of the achievements highlighted at the meeting was the
creation of the joint venture Petromacareo, formed by PDVSA
and its Vietnamese counterpart Petrovietnam. Petro macareo
recently began drilling its first successful oil well, which
is expected to begin producion this July and could have an
output of 20,000 barrels per day by December.
Meanwhile, another project known as Petromiranda, a joint
venture of PDVSA and Russian Consortium, is expected to begin
in August and should produce 20,000 barrels per day by the
end of the year. Drilling also began at Petrocarabobo, a PDVSA
project with Spain’s Repsol, India’s ONGC and
Malaysia’s Petronas, which is expected to produce 35,000
barrels a day.
3D seismic surveying is currently being carried out at the
area assigned to Petromacareo with the participation of over
one thousand workers in the central Venezuelan state of Guárico.
During Tuesday’s meeting, information was given about
the functioning of a water treatment unit at PDVSA’s
Petrocedeño facilities which will allow for the production
of up to 60,000 barrels of sulfur-free crude oil lightened
to an API gravity of 32°.
Minister Ramírez reiterated that the processes used
to lighten crude oil at the complexes of Petroanzoátegui,
Petropiar, Petrocedeño and Petromonagas are functioning
normally, and that the Restoration Plan for Solids Management
and the removal of impurities like sulfur is moving ahead,
and is expected to finish its work in September.
Petróleos de Venezuela / Press Office – Embassy
of Venezuela to the U.S. / January 25, 2012
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT, News
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