Could you outline Petroperú’s key activities across Peru?

Petroperú’s core activity is oil refining, with three strategically located refineries: Nueva Talara, with 95,000 bpd capacity, meeting 30–35% of national demand; Conchán, a 15,000 bpd facility near Lima focused on specialty products such as asphalt and solvents, also serving as a hub for Nueva Talara’s production and imports; and Iquitos, a 12,000 bpd refinery accessible only by air and river.

Beyond refining, Petroperú manages distribution and marketing, maintains upstream operations in Peru, and fulfills government mandates such as advancing natural gas distribution in the south and operating the north Peruvian pipeline, enabling crude transport from the Amazon.

What is the state of Peru’s current petrochemical landscape?

Peru’s oil industry is shaped by two major refining players: Repsol, with a Lima refinery of over 100,000 bpd, and Petroperú. Beyond refining, the Peruvian government’s long-term growth plan emphasizes petrochemicals based on natural gas. The government expects the main petrochemical project to be completed within 10 years. Additional initiatives are underway, including agricultural-linked petrochemical efforts in Cusco with the Gloria Group and early-stage projects around Bayóvar.

How did the modernization of the Nueva Talara refinery improve its operations?

The Nueva Talara refinery, inaugurated in December 2023, represents a complete transformation, with almost 99% of its infrastructure rebuilt to meet modern refining standards. Previously limited to three units – primary distillation, vacuum distillation, and catalytic cracking – it lacked desulfurization and deep conversion capacity, producing high-sulfur fuels. The modernization project introduced advanced technologies for deep conversion, hydrodesulfurization, catalytic reforming, and auxiliary services.

Partnerships include ExxonMobil and UOP for deep conversion and catalytic cracking, Axens for desulfurization and catalytic conversion, and Topsoe for desulfurization and hydrogen production. The refinery now has unmatched flexibility, processing both heavy and light crudes, expanded storage to 7 million barrels, and upgraded port infrastructure with two docks and submarine terminals.

Can you tell us more about Nueva Talara’s production of sulfuric acid?

Nueva Talara ranks among the world’s top 5% of refineries for technology and efficiency, with one distinguishing factor being its production of sulfuric acid rather than elemental sulfur from hydrodesulfurization processes, directly supporting Peru and the wider region’s mining sector.

Using Topsoe’s Wet Gas Sulfuric Acid (WSA) process, hydrogen sulfide from desulfurization units is oxidized to sulfur trioxide and then combined with water to yield sulfuric acid of over 98% purity. The process is energy-efficient, generating its own steam.

What projects has Petroperú undertaken to advance sustainability?

I would first highlight Petroperú Blue, a pilot commercial project in which urea was added to diesel to improve combustion emissions. This complemented existing renewable blending mandates in Peru: 5% biodiesel in diesel and 7.8% ethanol in gasoline. The pilot achieved positive results, but has not yet become standard due to cost and application considerations.

A second project seeks to convert gray hydrogen from Nueva Talara – produced from natural gas – into blue hydrogen by capturing associated greenhouse gas emissions. Petroperú is seeking strategic partners to advance this initiative.

What are Petroperú’s core priorities in the coming years?

Petroperú aims to maximize refinery utilization to 100%, up from current levels of 85–90%, while targeting a stronger market share. Medium-term plans focus on increasing refining capacity at Talara to 120,000–130,000 bpd through optimization and modest investments. Over the next decade, Petroperú intends to advance the energy transition, incorporating wind and solar projects near Talara and in southern Peru. Parallel to refining, the company is pursuing growth in exploration and production, with active bidding for major blocks in the Peruvian jungle and northern regions, seeking partners to expand upstream operations.

How would you describe the importance of the O&G and petrochemical industries today?

I believe the O&G industry must be understood within its geographic and sociopolitical context. What applies to Europe, the United States, or Asia does not necessarily apply to Latin America. In this region, the priority should be maximizing the use of fossil fuels through efficient refining and globally competitive products, while simultaneously strengthening the petrochemical industry derived from O&G.

The transition to renewables is inevitable, but here in Latin America, it should make full use of our available natural resources.