Lima, Peru — State-owned oil company Petro-Perú has announced the start of a public bidding process to select a new strategic partner to operate Lot 192, the country’s largest oil field, located in the province of Datem del Marañón, Loreto.
This move follows the decision by Perú-Petro, the agency overseeing hydrocarbon resources, to recognize Petro-Perú as the corporate guarantor of Altamesa, a Canadian company that was previously part of the operating consortium.
The current license contract for the exploration and exploitation of Lot 192 remains valid, and Peru-Petro is expected to implement contract modifications in the coming days to:
- Formalize Altamesa’s exit, and
- Incorporate a new operator, boosting efforts to restart oil production in the northern Amazon region.
“We aim to bring in a world-class company with strong experience in the hydrocarbons sector. The strategic partner should be defined within the next three months,” stated Alejandro Narváez, Chairman of Petro-Perú’s Board.
Narváez added that the company has already engaged in preliminary talks with several interested parties.
Lot 192 has a historic output exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil, making its reactivation crucial for reviving Peru’s oil production and ensuring national energy security, the company emphasized.