More Amazon oil?
The saga’s possible ramifications are not limited to the national economy. Peru’s sprawling Amazon rainforest, home to 1.6 million Indigenous people and a vital buffer against climate change, is also in the firing line.
PetroPerú’s main business is refining and transporting oil, much of it from the Peruvian Amazon to a terminal near Talara through the 1,000km Norperuano pipeline. But in 2021 it acquired rights to drill in the Amazon, signalling a return to oil production for the first time in more than 25 years.
According to a new report from Amazon Watch, an NGO, PetroPerú’s dire financial situation means it is more likely to push for more oil extraction in the Amazon, where it has met strong…
