Peru to streamline environmental framework for hydrocarbons, petchem

Peru’s energy and mines ministry opened consultation for proposed changes to the environmental framework for the hydrocarbons and petrochemical sectors.

One tweak would modify the regulation for environmental protection in hydrocarbon activities.

“The regulatory proposal seeks to address the problem generated by the current sectoral environmental regulations, according to which the hydrocarbon activity owner must delay the implementation of certain actions to carry out an administrative procedure of prior evaluation,” according to the ministry.

“This, even though these actions do not entail the generation of significant environmental impacts, much less the generation of non-significant environmental impacts.”

Stakeholders have been calling for changes on this front to address drawn-out permitting processes in a bid to add new industry impetus, particularly in exploration and production.

The other modification targets the same regulation but is related to the advance classification of environmental studies for petrochemical activity.

“After reviewing the environmental studies associated with the [gas] processing activity, particularly for the petrochemical projects evaluated in Peru to date, it has been identified that in some specific cases it would be technically feasible and justified to require a semi-detailed environmental impact study (ElA-sd) instead of an ElA-d,” the ministry argues.

“This is due to the nature and magnitude of the environmental impacts that certain petrochemical projects generate, which do not merit an evaluation as exhaustive as that provided for in an ElA-d.”

The government recently established a regulatory framework for the development of a petrochemical industry.

The proposals are available in the Documents box in the top right corner and comments may be submitted to prepublicacionesdgaah@minem.gob.pe