Camisea Gas Project

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The Camisea Gas Project extracts natural gas originating near the Urubamba River in central Peru. The main pipeline begins at the Camisea Gas Field in the Amazon Rainforest, traverses through steep Andes mountains, and terminates within the Paracas National Reserve near San Martin, the port of Pisco. A second pipeline runs from near Pisco north along the coast to Lima for distribution to residents and industries in the capital city.

The Camisea gas project had been planned for many years but was finally executed under the government of President Alejandro Toledo; it became operational in August 2004. It promises to bring great economic benefit to Peru, especially when natural gas is exported. The use of natural gas in Peru would also be a more environmentally-friendly alternative to petroleum-based diesel and coal.

However, it seems that the construction of the pipeline was rushed, since as of March 2006 there have already been 5 spills along the pipeline. The latest one occurred on March 4, 2006 and left 3 people injured. ^[1] According to E-Tech International of San Diego, California, at least 40 percent of the pipes used were leftover from other projects and suffered from substantial corrosion.

The construction in the Amazon rainforest has allegedly reduced fish stocks and brought disease to formerly isolated indigenous communities, such as the Machiguenga.