Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves will travel to the province of Orellana on Wednesday, August 28.

This week, the Government of Ecuador will begin the closure of block 43, which includes the Ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini (ITT) fields, and to do so, the Minister of Energy, Antonio Goncalves, will travel to the area on Wednesday, August 28.

This official reported in a radio interview that the ruling of the Constitutional Court (CC) that gave a one-year deadline for a progressive closure of this oil block will be complied with, after the popular consultation held in August 2023 won the option of yes to leave the crude oil in the area underground.

"I'm not going to deny that it's a blow, it's obviously a blow to the economy of a poor country that takes that luxury, in any case, it's the decision and we're going to do it. Tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken, I'm going to go to ITT to close the first well," he said on Tuesday.

The Government submitted to the Constitutional Court a progressive exit plan for the closure of the ITT, since there are 248 wells at this site and there may be environmental risks. Thus, the process of shutting down the wells will be carried out gradually over the next five years and the schedule will end in 2034.

The established schedule states that the well shutdown process would begin on August 30, 2024.