Promising “clean, cheap energy” for Peru, President Alejandro Toledo this month officially inaugurated the first stage of the US$2.5 billion Camisea natural-gas system. In the Aug. 5 ceremony, a valve was opened at a new plant in the Amazon to start natural gas and gas liquids flowing from the jungle to the coast, crossing the Andes. While Toledo hailed the project as a boost, questions remain about the ultimate environmental impacts and whether royalty income will reach indigenous communities near the plant and the pipeline route. The Camisea field holds an estimated 11 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 600 million cubic feet of gas liquids. The US$1.6 million plant in the jungle separates the liquids from the dry gas. Parallel... [Log in to read more]