ACP as a source of information
Source: El País – Regional
Author: Francisco José Lloreda Mera
Date: September 13
Headline: Beyond outrage
Javier Ordóñez was murdered with cruelty and premeditation. The preliminary report from Legal Medicine indicates that he arrived at the hospital with nine fractures in his skull, shattered from the inside and without vital signs. Apparently, he was beaten to death inside the CAI in an incident involving several officers. There was a heated altercation between some of the police and the victim, with provocations from both sides. But nothing, nothing, justifies the heinous crime. National outrage was to be expected, heightened by the video in which the victim was subdued with electric guns, despite his pleas for them to stop. It would have been abnormal for citizens to be indifferent to what happened. It was echoed in: elpais.com.co (September 13).
Source: Semana – National
Date: September 12
Headline: Fracking: Finally yes or no?
An article in the royalties law that sought tax benefits for future unconventional reservoir projects triggered a storm. They withdrew the regulation, but the incident generated misinformation. Who is right? This week hydraulic fracturing was once again the apple of discord in the country. (…) The Minister of Mines, Diego Mesa, assures that in the coming weeks they will publish the missing regulations so that interested companies can begin working on the environmental licensing process before the Anla. If the regulations meet the companies' expectations, civil works could begin in the first half of 2021 at eight wells located in the Magdalena Medio basin and in Cesar-Ranchería, according to the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP). So far, ConocoPhillips, Drummond, Ecopetrol, and Exxon have expressed their interest in developing the PP11, which could represent an investment close to 650 million dollars.
Source: Extra Llano – Regional
Date: September 11
Headline: The fight against Covid-19 continues
The people of Granada remain anxious about the spread of Covid-19, which by the close of this edition had already totaled 546 infected and 21 deceased from this pathology, along with the recently emerged infections in the prison, reasons for which the community has shown concern. For their part, the authorities have increased biosecurity measures and messages directed at the population to comply with the protocols, considering that the department of Meta is beginning the highest peak of the pandemic, a situation that will extend until the end of this month. (…) The doctor stated that this new supply was delivered following efforts made with the Colombian Petroleum Association, and that new deliveries of this mechanism, essential for continuing to address this health problem, are expected in the coming days.
Source: BLU Radio – National
Date: September 11
Source: Melodía Estéreo – Regional
Date: September 11
Source: Melodía Estéreo – Regional
Date: September 11
Source: Caracol TV - National
Date: September 11
GREMIO
Source: La República
Date: September 14
Headline: Fear of Escazú? By: Brigitte Baptiste
Recently, the main economic guilds and representatives of the private sector strongly opposed the request for ratification of the Escazú Agreement (promoted by ECLAC since 2018) that the National Government accepted to support after citizen conversations, partially derived from the national strike that will soon complete a year. (…) The WWF's Living Planet Report 2020 clearly accounts for the successful process of humanity's suicide by inaction, while in Colombia Camilo Correa and his collaborators show on a map the accumulated human spatial footprint that certainly marks the path to collapse. A map that, on the other hand, is the result of the fruitful cooperation that has developed over the years between Ecopetrol and the Humboldt Institute…
Source: El Meridiano de Sucre
Date: September 14
Headline: Port traffic increased.
In an interview with El Meridiano, the deputy superintendent of Ports of the Superintendency of Transport, Álvaro Ceballos Suárez, revealed that despite a negative variation of 9.8 % in the nine port areas, there was an increase of 2 % in port traffic in the Gulf of Morrosquillo in the first half of the year. (…) He stated that he visited the three main operations taking place in the Gulf of Morrosquillo: Cenit Ecopetrol, Ocensa, and Compas, Tolú terminal. «We observed that there have been problems of continuity or delays in the operation, so with these visits we want to verify the continuity in the provision of these services,» said the Ports delegate.
Source: La Libertad
Date: September 14
Headline: Government, congress, and justice that we deserve
Faced with a “deaf, blind, repressive, and unjust” government, a kneeling Parliament fed with “jam,” and an indifferent and corrupt justice system, Colombians, in the face of repression by the Police against citizens for X or Y reasons, dared to take to the streets to protest in the main cities of the country, (…) In previous reflections with you, I denounced acts of possible corruption in the “sale of gold” from our reserves, the reduction of bank reserves to favor banks, the credits approved for large companies and not for small and medium-sized ones, Ecopetrol's investments in the United States for US$1500 million, to exploit oil through fracking, with an OXY company from the “Bush” family that is bankrupt, the Bionergy Ethanol plant, where we lost US$700 million, and Reficar, where we lost US$4,000 million.
Source: Diario del Norte.
Date: September 14
Headline: Government and Mayor's Office work together to make Riohacha the tourist destination it deserves
Riohacha, pearl gateway, capital city and Tourist and Special District that strives tirelessly to provide its citizens and visitors with the ideal conditions, as the epicenter of tourist operations in the Department. We are working together to project our capital and consolidate it as a responsible, sustainable destination, with enriching experiences and dignified services for the enjoyment of our travelers. (…) With the private sector, we are working in coordination with Hocol-Ecopetrol to materialize the remodeling and expansion of the tourist dock in Riohacha, a project that also includes more dynamic spaces for those who visit. To date, the installation of a new Tourist Information Point has already been approved, which will provide great support for the execution of activities led by the Tourism Police.
Source: eldiariodelllano.com
Date: September 14
Headline: Hospital network in Arauca strengthens with the arrival of more equipment
The health sector in the department of Arauca benefited from the delivery of 17 ventilators by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the automated nucleic acid extraction equipment donated to the Public Health Laboratory of Arauca by the Occidental Petroleum of Colombia for the analysis of covid-19 tests; in addition, the Great Donation was held to raise funds and supplies for the San Vicente Hospital. (…) Meanwhile, the automated extraction equipment was delivered by Occidental Petroleum of Colombia to the Border Health Laboratory to expedite the diagnosis of covid-19, with which an average of 200 samples will be processed.
Source: zonacero.com
Date: September 14
Headline: Brake on environmental negligence
A strong alarm and concern sounded last week upon learning of the recent report from the General Comptroller of the Republic that evidenced the serious contamination from hydrocarbon spill events caused by the Barrancabermeja Refinery in the Magdalena River and the El Rosario creek, as it does not have an updated contingency plan according to current regulatory requirements. In the audit, which also included the Bajo Anchicayá Hydroelectric Plant, it was found that the contingencies at the Refinery are repetitive, both in their cause and in the impacted resource, and that the repetitive manner in which they occur indicates a lack of effective preventive measures and learning from the experiences of the events that occur year after year, demonstrating clear negligence on the part of Ecopetrol regarding the contamination of these water bodies. (…) We ask the control bodies to scrutinize this series of non-compliance that has occurred, by the companies and the ANLA, with disciplinary investigations that establish accountability.
Source: prensalibrecasanare.com
Date: September 14
Headline: This week, power outages in rural areas of Orocué and Aguazul
The Casanare Energy Company informed users of the electric service in some sectors of the rural area of Aguazul municipality that this Thursday, September 17, 2020, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., they will carry out work on the 13.2KV line corridor. Service will be suspended in the rural areas, Vereda Los Troncos, Sevilla, La Pedregosa, Salitre, Vergelito, Altos Las Atalayas, Bellavista, Altamira, La Unión, El Cachiza, and Manoguia. Ramiriquí sector, Ecopetrol Valve 12 and 26. Cerro Mil antennas, Vereda La Turúa, Cusiana Bridge, Cusiana 1 and 2, San Miguel de Farallones, Upamena, La Victoria, Palo Solo, Llano Lindo, Alto Lindo, Guadualito, La Graciela, and Rincón de La Graciela.
Source: Stay informed
Date: September 13
Headline: Spill of 100 barrels of crude oil affected fauna and flora in Puerto Boyacá
Following the visit of officials from the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Boyacá, it was evident that nearly 100 barrels of crude oil spilled over 1,200 square meters of Campo Moriche, owned by Mansarovar Energy Colombia Ltda in Puerto Boyacá, of which 15 barrels were net crude oil. The report revealed that the spill affected the soil and water as it originated three kilometers from the Magdalena River. The visit also evidenced damage to flora and fauna since the area consists of species such as Yarumo, Higuerón, Cauchos, and Palmas, which are refuges for birds, reptiles, and amphibians. “A preliminary technical report was made so that the National Authority of Environmental Licenses, ANLA, can take the necessary measures, a task we will be vigilant about,” said Edwin Toro, an official from Corpoboyacá.
Topics
Source: La República
Date: September 14
Headline: Various political topics. By: Alberto J. Bernal-León
The children of former president Santos published a series of tweets in recent days condemning the decision of alias “Timochenko,” the top leader of the Farc, to deny the abuse and forced recruitment of children by the terrorist group Farc. (…) What we saw in Bogotá these days is a prologue to what may happen from now until 2022. The radical left knows that it can only put a president in power if it manages to bring the country to its knees. But bringing the country to its knees will also generate a decision from the center-right to amalgamate forces to prevent the country from falling completely into Bolivarian populism. God willing, the global economy reacts strongly from now on and that oil supports the dynamics, so that the Duque administration can have a bit more degrees of freedom on the fiscal and economic side in 2021.
Source: La República
Date: September 14
Headline: Analysts expect the dollar price to be around $3.732
Last week, the dollar closed the day above the barrier of $3.700 and the TRM for today will be $3.709.01. According to analysts consulted by LR, this week the U.S. currency will continue near that price and will trade on average at $3.732. (…) While oil could remain above the barrier of $3.700, analysts expect the price of WTI to settle at US$37, on average. According to Martínez, this is because the oil market will start the week with the publication of the OPEC monthly market report, which will present forecasts for crude oil.
Source: El Heraldo
Date: September 14
Headline: “The Coast is the region with the greatest energy potential”
The Caribbean Coast is the region of Colombia that has the greatest energy potential, not only in terms of gas but also renewable energies, said the president of the Colombian Natural Gas Association (Naturgas), Orlando Cabrales. The union leader highlighted that Colombia's gas potential is largely associated with the Caribbean, with conventional deposits and discoveries that have recently been made in Atlántico, Córdoba, and Sucre; offshore and unconventional deposits in Cesar. “All of this will mean that the Caribbean becomes the main supplier of natural gas in Colombia,” he stated and clarified that today the largest share is held by Cusiana and Cupiagua in Casanare, but in the future, everything indicates that it will be the Caribbean.
Source: El Tiempo
Date: September 13
Headline: The 134 hopes to recover lost ground in exports
Although the statistics clearly show that this year the country will not reach the export levels of 2019 due to the pandemic, but also largely due to the oil and coal mining downturn this year, the Government, through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (Mincit), with the support of ProColombia decided to redefine the route to try to recover exports other than mining and hydrocarbons.
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: September 13
Headline: The pulse continues for fracking pilots.
The key for the Senate and House conciliators“ commission to agree to remove article 210 from the project regulating the organization and functioning of the General System of Royalties, which according to some opened the door to fracking, was that the national government stated that it would no longer insist on its approval. One of the parliamentarians who participated in the conciliation, Senator Guillermo García Realpe, indicated that ”it is unlikely” that there can be fracking in Colombia due to the obligation to observe the precautionary principle established in international agreements signed by Colombia.”
Source: La República
Date: September 12
Headline: Fracking challenge. By: Carlos Alberto Leal Niño.
As definitive instances approach, which must decide the future of the development of Unconventional Reservoirs in the country, strategies are ramped up by detractors of the hydrocarbons industry to seek favorability in public opinion, and through this pressure the decisions of magistrates and congressmen. And the tactics include using influencers of all kinds, who are responsible for repeating a discourse that is overflowing with emotion and lacking in rigorously scientific reasons. They also launch challenges like the Fracking Challenge, which border on nonsense by wanting to polarize opinion with the dichotomy of water or oil.
Institutions
Source: El Tiempo
Date: September 13
Headline: With $15.7 billion in royalties, regions will be key in reactivation.
The lack of resources can no longer be the excuse for the different regions and municipalities of the country not to carry out those priority works of great social impact that will get them out of the backwardness in which they find themselves, as they will have more than 15.7 billion pesos from royalties available for this purpose, which they can execute in the biennium 2021-2022. (…) With this reform, municipalities and departments will have a historic figure of royalties for social investment, said Diego Mesa, Minister of Mines and Energy. And he warned that these resources must be “allocated to works for closing gaps and sustainable reactivation in the regions.” (…) Indeed, the reform of royalties is the opportunity that the most productive regions, of minerals and hydrocarbons, and those with the greatest needs have to obtain additional resources to carry out those priority investments.
Source: confidencialcolombia.com
Date: September 13
Headline: The bad government of Duque and the violence in Colombia.
Vulnerable people explode. There is little for them. What the government does is felt against them due to a combination of factors: covid; measures in favor of a few and scarce for others; a loan of 370 million dollars to Avianca, money that Colombia will likely never see again as it is a bankrupt company with a market that will not recover for two or three years, but a basic income is denied to nine million families. (…) He appoints ministers who are not even fit for protocol chiefs; Ecopetrol is at risk of being defrauded by its executives according to a judicial decision, however, he and the Minister of Mines look the other way; he uses a rearview mirror to distort his limited commitment to peace; he gains merits that are not only his in the infrastructure works he is finishing; and the Centro Democrático never said that the children killed in Cali were on the property of a sugar producer who had been a candidate for the Senate for Uribismo.
Source: Portafolio
Date: September 12
Headline: Mining-energy indicators signal progress in reactivation.
The increase in the demand for natural gas, electricity, and liquid fuels is a clear indication that, after almost six months of quarantine due to the pandemic, the economy is regaining its dynamism. (…) Specifically, liquid fuels are the ones that have shown the highest demand in the mentioned period of time, as revealed by a recent report from the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME). (…) Furthermore, the mining-energy portfolio revealed in its report that the ninth month of the year began with an oil production of 742,000 barrels per average day (bpd), which represents a drop of 16% compared to the same period in 2019. Another energy source that has recorded good consumption behavior in the first days of September has been natural gas, which reached 832 Gbtud (Giga BTU -British Thermal Unit- per day), a figure higher than the 811 Gbtud recorded in the last week of August.
Source: Portafolio
Date: September 12
Headline: ‘Fracking’: would only start at the end of 2021
The licensing process before the Anla for the use of fracking would take more than a year. Additionally, the issuance of the regulations by the Ministry of Environment is pending, which will delay the start of drilling until the end of next year.
Source: El Universal
Date: September 12
Headline: Crude oil production
The Ministry of Mines and Energy revealed in its most recent weekly figures report that oil production in August would have closed at 742,000 barrels per average day, which would translate into a drop of 16% compared to August 2019. In gas, commercial production was 1,020 million cubic feet/day.
Source: El Meridiano de Córdoba
Date: September 12
Headline: Gasoline prices will remain stable
Gasoline prices will remain stable during the month of September in the thirteen main cities of the country, including Montería. This was reported by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. That is to say, in the capital of Córdoba, it will remain at 8,201 pesos, while the price of diesel exceeds 8,000 pesos per gallon. (…) Thus, the price of a gallon of gasoline in the thirteen main cities will remain at 7,972 pesos and that of diesel at 8,036 pesos, on average.
Colombian Association of Oil and Gas