More Protests Against OCP

Three towns on the route of Ecuador's OCP heavy crude pipeline project are planning protests to stop construction if the operating consortium fails to comply with commitments to start social works soon, newspaper El Comercio reported. The mayors of Gonzalo Pizarro, El Chaco and Quijos agreed that if works have not begun by December 10, the local communities would not allow the pipeline to pass through their districts. The OCP consortium, led by Argentina's Techint, agreed to make investments for social works of US$550,000 in El Chaco, US$455,000 in Gonzalo Pizarro and US$750,000 in Quijos, local officials said. Groups have already staged protests against the pipeline on grounds that it would damage sensitive environmental areas. The line is expected to more than double Ecuador's transport capacity and facilitate the development of several major oil projects.