Lima, March 29 (ANDINA-RHC) -- The Peruvian government plans to hold monthly technical meetings starting in April with groups in the northern town of Sechura to discuss a natural gas pipeline project.

The Mines and Energy Ministry said late Wednesday that a public meeting will be scheduled for July.

Civil society groups in Sechura, located in the Piura region, held protests this week against the pipeline project. One person was killed and a number of others wounded during clashes with police.

The groups are concerned that the project could harm local fishing activities, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

The project, known as Punta Lagunas, is being developed by Savia Peru, a company owned by Colombia’s national oil company Ecopetrol and South Korea’s KNOC.

Deputy Minister of Energy Luis Ortigas, quoted by the local media, said: “The objective of the discussions is to inform them that with current technology the transport of gas, like in this case, can coexist with the work they do.” And he added: “With this, we hope to resolve everything so that the company can start its work.”

The company says there are potential natural gas reserves of about 1 trillion cubic feet in the area.

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