{"id":914005,"date":"2026-06-19T18:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T23:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/has-ecuador-started-fracking-new-oil-project-causes-confusion-and-concern\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T18:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T23:12:18","slug":"has-ecuador-started-fracking-new-oil-project-causes-confusion-and-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/has-ecuador-started-fracking-new-oil-project-causes-confusion-and-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"Has Ecuador started fracking? New oil project causes confusion and concern"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<article id=\"post-320253\">\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>State-owned oil company Petroecuador announced a new project involving \u201chydraulic fracturing\u201d in an oil block in the Ecuadorian Amazon, creating confusion about the level of risk posed to the environment.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The announcement concerned oil in Block 57, also known as the Shushufindi Libertador block, located in Sucumb\u00edos province, which is largely covered by Amazonian rainforest.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Conservation groups said they want more transparency from the government as it attempts to boost sagging oil production numbers.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Earlier this month, state-owned oil company Petroecuador <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambienteyenergia.gob.ec\/ecuador-descubre-nuevo-horizonte-petrolero-y-marca-un-hito-en-la-exploracion-energetica-nacional\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">announced<\/a> a new project involving \u201chydraulic fracturing\u201d in an oil block in the Ecuadorian Amazon. As a result, some observers spoke out against the environmental risks of high-volume shale \u201cfracking,\u201d in which water and chemicals are injected at high pressures into the tight bedrock to release trapped oil and gas.<\/p>\n<p>Shale fracking tends to cause air pollution, uses high quantities of water, and can result in contamination that creates public health risks for surrounding communities.<\/p>\n<p>But while \u201chydraulic fracturing\u201d and shale \u201cfracking\u201d involve similar processes, they\u2019re carried out at entirely different intensities, with different designs, the observers later said. The two terms are often used interchangeably, and the government didn\u2019t explain the distinction or follow up when the groups asked for clarification, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expreso.ec\/economia-y-negocios\/expertos-petroleros-desmienten-gobierno-sobre-fracking-primera-vez-ecuador-281040.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s striking because, for us, one of the concerns is the lack of information associated with this announcement,\u201d Sebasti\u00e1n Valdivieso, Ecuador country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), told Mongabay.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement concerned oil in Block 57, also known as the Shushufindi Libertador block, located in Sucumb\u00edos province, which is largely covered by Amazonian rainforest. New drilling there would yield 930 barrels a day, extracted with the help of service provider Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Corporation (CCDC), a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation.<\/p>\n<p>In its announcement, Petroecuador said it was the first time in the country\u2019s history that hydraulic fracturing would be used on subsurface limestone, where those kinds of operations aren\u2019t usually carried out.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_320256\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/05\/28164117\/AP26072467311561-768x512.jpg\" alt width=\"768\" height=\"512\"  ><figcaption>A group of Indigenous women from across Ecuador\u2019s Amazon look at a map showing potential new oil drilling locations during a meeting in Nueva Loja, Ecuador. (AP Photo\/Dolores Ochoa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis discovery not only increases the volume of barrels produced in the country, but also opens a new horizon of exploration, highlighting the potential in areas that continue to be strategic for Ecuador\u2019s energy development,\u201d Petroecuador said in its announcement.<\/p>\n<p>Hydraulic fracturing in limestone deposits, such as the one in Block 57, typically uses far less water and pressure than the high-volume shale fracking done in the U.S. Limestone is more permeable than shale, making the oil easier to extract and generally posing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-019-49093-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">less risk<\/a> to the environment.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, that doesn\u2019t mean the risk is zero, critics pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>Valdivieso, representing WCS Ecuador, said the government is using hydraulic fracturing more intensely than before to extract the remaining oil from older wells. But no data have been provided on water quantities or sources, he said. He also said they want to know where the water is released after it\u2019s been used in the hydraulic fracturing process.<\/p>\n<p>There aren\u2019t any publicly available hydrogeological studies assessing groundwater contamination risk around Block 57, or explanations about how to mitigate the risk, given the well\u2019s proximity to ecologically sensitive Amazon watersheds.<\/p>\n<p>Petroecuador didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment for this story.<\/p>\n<p>Oil accounts for more than 37% of Ecuador\u2019s exports and nearly 10% of its GDP, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/eiti.org\/countries\/ecuador\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, production has increased in many oil fields in and around Block 57. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eppetroecuador.ec\/?p=28746\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Drago field<\/a> went from 2,854 barrels of oil per day in July 2025 to a peak of 5,954 bpd in February 2026. New wells have also been drilled in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expreso.ec\/actualidad\/economia\/tras-caida-en-2025-petroecuador-acelera-plan-para-aumentar-extraccion-275596.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">nearby<\/a> Lobo, Gacela, Tetete and Pucuna fields.<\/p>\n<p>The country has struggled with production in recent years, due to the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2024\/08\/one-year-after-oil-referendum-whats-next-for-ecuadors-yasuni-national-park\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">closure<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/05\/ecuador-failing-to-end-yasuni-oil-drilling-interview-with-waorani-leader-juan-bay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Yasun\u00ed ITT fields<\/a>, and should be focusing more on renewable energy, critics said. Some estimates put the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.global-climatescope.org\/markets\/ecuador\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">investment<\/a> in renewable energy at $7.19 million in 2024 while investment in oil and gas continues to reach into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eppetroecuador.ec\/wp-content\/uploads\/downloads\/2024\/12\/PEE-2024-2025-Aprobado.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">billions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are at a moment in which Ecuador has to look more seriously at establishing alternative energy projects,\u201d Valdivieso said.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Banner image: <\/strong>Yasuni National Park in Ecuador\u2019s northeastern jungle, not far from Block 57. (AP Photo\/Dolores Ochoa, File)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Citation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gehne,\u00a0S., &#038; Benson,\u00a0P.\u00a0M. (2019). Permeability enhancement through hydraulic fracturing: Laboratory measurements combining a 3D printed jacket and pore fluid over-pressure.\u00a0<em>Scientific Reports<\/em>,\u00a0<em>9<\/em>(1). doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-019-49093-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">10.1038\/s41598-019-49093-1<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>See related from this reporter:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote data-secret=\"DT3CReHOm7\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/03\/flagship-conservation-platforms-smart-and-earthranger-join-forces-in-new-tech-partnership\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Flagship conservation platforms SMART and EarthRanger join forces in new tech partnership<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>FEEDBACK:\u00a0<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLScLVd2lerqVykubD_tdMl1wHIS8FWRHKIrnmDFI6-M1TacgIQ\/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Use this form<\/a>\u00a0to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n<div id=\"single-article-footer\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<h4>Credits  <\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" alt src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ddc11ab3173ab5e21a8b9ce7c4f11c7fc908bb2b47d47eaf0789863708a3588?s=32&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=g\"  height=\"32\" width=\"32\" decoding=\"async\">        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"single-article-tags\">\n<h4>Topics<\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>                            <span><a href data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p> Raleigh Buresh<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2026\/05\/has-ecuador-started-fracking-new-oil-project-causes-confusion-and-concern\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State-owned oil company Petroecuador announced a new project involving \u201chydraulic fracturing\u201d in an oil block in the Ecuadorian Amazon, creating confusion about the level of risk posed to the environment. The announcement concerned oil in Block 57, also known as the Shushufindi Libertador block, located in Sucumb\u00edos province, which is largely covered by Amazonian rainforest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":914006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99496,25622],"tags":[18720,9990],"class_list":["post-914005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ecuador","category-started","tag-ecuador","tag-started"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=914005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/914006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=914005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=914005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=914005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}