Spanish
Lima.- Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines declared a gas supply emergency this Monday to be able to execute "with the greatest speed, the necessary technical works", after a leak and deflagration occurred this Sunday in the Camisea deposit, in the Cusco region, in the south of the country.
The natural gas leak and combustion were reported on Sunday by the ministry, which assured that the protocols established in the National Disaster Risk Management System (Sinagerd) were immediately activated and anticipated that the declaration of emergency, from March 1 to 14, would be issued this Monday.You may be interested in: President Luis Abinader will visit Gaspar Hernández
In addition, the ministry ordered the activation of the rationing mechanism for the allocation of natural gas volume to the domestic market. In the resolution, it is stipulated that the available volume of natural gas in the pipelines be allocated as a priority to supply homes and businesses and establishments that supply public transport, "in order to prevent shortages and preserve the stability of the system while the corresponding corrective actions are carried out." The distributor Calidda stated in a press release that the sale of gas for private vehicles in Lima has been restricted, which has caused long lines of cars at gas stations in the capital during the day. "A rationing mechanism has been established for the dispatch of natural gas, prioritizing only the supply to residential and commercial consumers, as well as the mass public transport of passengers whose sole fuel of use is CNG," the company specified. For its part, the Supervisory Body for Investment in Energy and Mining (Osinergmin) stated this Monday that it supervises that the allocation and distribution of available natural gas is carried out in accordance with the criteria established by the ministry and monitors the rationing mechanism. "Osinergmin has also verified that the thermoelectric plants operating with natural gas in Camisea have been temporarily replaced by backup plants operating with diesel, a measure that allows preserving the continuity of the electrical service nationwide," added the agency. The Ombudsman's Office urged the Ministry of Energy and Mines to immediately strengthen coordination with the health sector and with local, regional, and national authorities in order to guarantee the life and integrity of people and the protection of the environment, and also to ensure the continuity of the energy supply. He also urged Osinergmin to urgently carry out the inspection actions within its competence, including verifying compliance with safety protocols and determining the causes of the deflagration. "A comprehensive supervision of the infrastructure's safety conditions is essential to prevent risks that affect communities, avoid personal injury, and mitigate environmental impacts, adopting immediate measures to prevent similar events," he/she pointed out.
