“Working hand by hand with Talara people will enable our Refinery to become an example throughout South America”

The Board Director of PETROPERU, German Velasquez Salazar, ratified the social compromise of the state oil company with the Talara people. “Today we are compromised to carry out a megaproject in Talara, and it’s being possible thanks to the conviction of the population. We consider that it’s this same population who will drive the New Refinery of Talara to become an example throughout the nation and South America”, he said. 

During his work visit, Velasquez Salazar concluded that to this day the TRMP has a 30% of work done. “Thanks to the participation of the Talara workers and to the serious and responsable collaboration of all the people that are compromised in this big project we can say that we are barely ahead of what has been planned. We hope that by the end of 2016, we can reach to the 50% and by 2019, this refinery can be operating in benefit of Talara and the country”, he declared.

In behalf of the contracting and subcontracting companies and regarding to the hiring of local workers for the TRMP, Velasquez Salazar mentioned that there has been strict fulfilment to the agreement with the EIA. “When the construction of the New Refinery was approved, it was said that 70% of non qualified workers were to be from Talara and we have been strictly fulfilling it. Today more than 95%  of employees at the New Refinery are non qualified Talara workers”.

Regarding to the hiring of qualified workers, 35% of our employees are form Talara. “This means that of the two thousand people working for the TRMP, between qualified and non qualified, more than 900 are from Talara.” pointed out Velasquez Salazar.

The representative of PETROPERU affirmed that the hiring of qualified workers from other parts of the country generates important economic circulation in Talara contributing to food businesses, businessmen, fishermen and the city itself. He also implied that this economic circulation will increase and it is estimated to have four thousand workers by the half of the year and on its highest peak, about six thousand workers by July, 2017.

He also said that PETROPERÚ has been working with the aim of developing training programs to strengthen the skills of the Talara workers so that they can be qualified for future recruitment held by the contractors and subcontractors throughout the project. These programs will be introduced according to the demand of the contracting companies.

Opened doors

When he was asked about the requests given by some local population areas disclosed recently, the Board Director of PETROPERU replied that the company maintains an open door policy for the population and keeps direct communication with the members of the community to voice their concerns and to clarify any doubts about the fulfilment of the project or the work done in the area.

He quoted that for this purpose, the community has, among other channels of communication, the Citizen Information and Participation Office, located in Avenida “C” w/n in Talara, where people in charge provides information of the project and the Community Relations Plan programs of the EIA in the TRMP.