Ecuador has started fracking in the Amazon rainforest for the first time, state oil company Petroecuador said on Wednesday.
The new hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, project is in the Amazonian province of Sucumbios, on Ecuador’s border with Colombia.
Fracking at a new well on Block 57 – Shushufindi Libertador represents a “milestone” for oil production in the country, the Environment and Energy Ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The ministry said the new well is in full production, producing more than 930 barrels per day.
The project is being jointly operated with China National Petroleum Corporation, a subsidiary of CCDC.
What is fracking?
Fracking involves extracting natural gas and petroleum from underground rock.
It is criticized for using industrial quantities of water to break open rocks, as well as causing chemical contamination and provoking micro-earthquakes.
Ecuador is emphasizing on increasing oil production
Ecuador’s crude oil production fell to about 466,000 barrels per day in January 2026, down 13% from the same period a decade ago. Analysts point to aging infrastructure and years of underinvestment as part of the problem.
Oil revenues constitute a significant portion of Ecuador’s export earnings.
The government of President Daniel Ngoboa has promised to attract more funding for oil exploration and infrastructure and more foreign oil investment.
At the same time, his government’s push to expand oil exploration, particularly in the Amazon, has worried environmentalists and indigenous leaders.
Edited by: Zack Crellin