Production - Foreign - Petroleum Developments in Peru during 1939

Essentially all production for Peru came from the three established fields in coastal northwestern Peru (Fig. 1). These fields are known as La Brea-Parinas, Lobitos, and Zorritos, in order of importance. Together they produced 13,496,880 bbl., as compared with 15,838,605 bbl. in 1938. Zorritos Field.—Of the total production shown on Table 1, the Zorritos field was responsible for a relatively negligible amount estimated at 40,000 bbl. This small field, which is over 50 years old, was purchased by the Peruvian Government in the spring of 1939 from the Piaggio interests. The Government operated this field along with its near-by National Reserve areas, largely under supervision of Department of Mines officials, and the total production rate for both old and newa-areas was estimated to have increased by Oct. 1 to 166 bbl. per day. as compared with the 1938 average of 110 bbl. per day. Construction is said to have begun on a refinery that is to have a capacity of 1000 bbl. per day and is to include a gasoline-extraction plant, and on a pipe line to bring fresh water 20 miles from the Tumbes River. Lobitos Fields.—The Lobitos fields, some 70 miles south of Zorritos, produced approximately 2,650,000 bbl., or almost the same amount a* in 1938. La Brea-Parinas.—The International's La Brea-Parinas property, immediately south of the Lobitos property, produced 10,806,880 bbl., or 80 per cent of Peru's production. During the year 73 wells were drilled on the Estate, mostly in the semiproved area: 44 by rotary, 13 by cable and 16 by star rigs, as compared with 34 by rotary, 11 by cable and 20 by star in 1938. The most important of the several semiexploratory wells sunk was No. 3075, which late in December was brought in at a depth of 4500 ft. with an initial production of 1500 bbl. per day, based on