ACP as a source of information
Source: La República – National
Date: September 21
Headline: The oil companies that seek to take over the fracking pilots
In approximately two weeks, the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) will open the qualification phase for companies interested in the fracking pilots. It will be a new process in which the entity will analyze several proposals, with the aim of defining who will be the contractors that will develop the entire research process in two key basins of these deposits: Cesar – Ranchería and Valle Medio del Magdalena. (…) “Although preliminary calculations by the ACP indicate that for the comprehensive pilot research projects an initial investment of around US$650 million will be required for the exploratory phase in the first years of the projects, the value of the investment would be determined by the final regulations, the requirements regarding projects and wells for the evaluation of the technique, and the complexity of meeting the requirements that these stipulate,” highlighted Francisco Lloreda, president of the ACP. It was reported in:larepublica.co (September 21), noticias-tunja.co (September 21), noticiaspasto.co (September 21).
Source: El Nuevo Siglo – National
Date: September 20
Headline: Slow recovery of demand prevents crude prices from rising
With great concern, the oil sector of the country has received the low level of prices at the international level, but also due to the drop in demand, a result of the impact of the quarantine and other decisions. The president of the National Petroleum Association, Francisco José Lloreda, told EL NUEVO SIGLO that regarding the situation of crude prices and the cuts from producing countries, (…) The other two regulations that have already surpassed the comment stage and that must be issued are the environmental one, by the Ministry of Environment through a resolution, and the contractual one by the National Hydrocarbons Agency in an agreement. (…) He points out that “the drafts of the regulations for the companies have already been published, in which Ecopetrol and the ACP have transmitted the observations that have been published. But by law, the Government has to socialize those drafts. What we have heard from the minister is that at least within two months the regulation will be ready, that is, around August or September.” It was reported in: elnuevosiglo.com.co (September 18).
Source: El País – Regional
Author: Francisco José Lloreda Mera
Date: September 20
Headline: What is he playing at?
The violent events of last week lowered the volume of Rodrigo Londoño's sworn statement before the JEP. According to the media, the former guerrilla commander and member of the Secretariat would have denied that the Farc recruited minors and committed rapes and abortions on women. And he would have said, washing his hands, that as a commander it was difficult for him to control what happened in each Front, as he was dedicated to caring for peasant families. If this is the case, the question that arises is why would he insist on lying to the country if he committed to telling the truth, knowing that the guerrilla committed those and other atrocious crimes, that the JEP has thousands of referenced cases and evidence about the events, and that judicial truth is a sine qua non requirement to maintain the benefits he has received? Why would he insist on lying and claiming that if those crimes occurred, they were behind his back? He replied in: elpais.com.co (September 20)
GREMIO
Source: Portafolio
Date: September 21
Headline: Petrobras offers its share in Tayrona
A new movement in the oil operation will take place in the waters of the Caribbean Sea of the Country. This is the Brazilian Petrobras, which has begun the process of offering the 44.44% it has in participation in the Tayrona block, located in deep waters off the coast of La Guajira. (…) The Tayrona block is jointly developed by Petrobras and Ecopetrol with the remaining 55.56% of participation. The concession is in the exploration phase, with the commitment to drill a well to test the potential gas volumes.
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: September 21
Headline: Additions to the budget: When, how much, and from where?
Without yet being approved by the Congress of the Republic, the General Budget of the Nation for 2021 – which was established by the economic commissions at $314 trillion – the urgent need for additions due to the underfunding in the resource letter has come to light. (…) Carrasquilla added that there will also be $8.4 trillion in financial surpluses, represented in the dividends produced by the companies in which the Nation has participation, such as Ecopetrol. “Dividends decrease due to the 2020 crisis and would go from $11.4 trillion this year to $8.4 trillion in 2021, including the participations of different entities and the profits of the Bank of the Republic,” he added.
Source: wradio.com.co
Date: September 21
Headline: Ecopetrol subsidiary rejects wave of attacks against Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline
The company Cenit, a subsidiary of Ecopetrol, again rejected the illegal and violent actions that have been recorded in the recent week against the Caño Limón – Coveñas pipeline and that, according to it, put the integrity of the populations at risk, generate serious consequences for the environment, and affect the activities of the oil industry. According to the hydrocarbon transport company, seven attacks against the oil infrastructure have been recorded in recent days. In addition, it specified that in the Islas de Bojabá village, in the municipality of Saravena, armed individuals intimidated the personnel of the contractor company Metalpar, which was carrying out some repair work. Thus, the unscrupulous forced the operators of the backhoe that was on site to make a cut to locate the pipeline.
Source: lareporteria.com
Date: September 21
Headline: Nearly 5000 plants planted on Oxygen Day in Tauramena
A new planting day of plant species within the framework of Oxygen Day was carried out by Parex Resources Colombia, in collaboration with the Municipal Mayor's Office of Tauramena, in order to strengthen the concept of environmental awareness and sensitize communities regarding the need to counteract climate change and mitigate its effects. (…) “Today we are celebrating Oxygen Day. These trees help consume the carbon dioxide that affects our planet and produce oxygen for our inhabitants. We are very grateful to Parex for this planting exercise in the important ecosystems of our municipality,” said Tele Amaya, mayor of Tauramena.
Source: contextoganadero.com
Date: September 21
Headline: Fedegán Ecopetrol Agreement: a milestone in environmental compensations
Many are the guilds in the country and the world that are supporting projects that promote sustainability in their activities. Currently, Fedegán and Ecopetrol are working sustainably in five regions of the country. Learn what it is about. The world is crying out for proper environmental management in the various economic activities that make use of the land. This is the reason why Ecopetrol, together with the Colombian Federation of Cattle Ranchers (Fedegán), is betting today on strengthening the sustainability of the country's livestock production.
Source: Vanguardia Liberal
Date: September 20
Headline: Government guarantees resources for sludge treatment
A year after the complaint made by the guardians of the water mirrors of Barrancabermeja regarding the contamination with sludge presented by the San Silvestre swamp, the efforts to build a plant that puts an end to that situation seem to be bearing the expected fruits. (…) The Ministry of Housing, City and Territory reaffirmed its support for this project and will contribute nearly $14,000 million for its execution, corresponding to 70% of the value of the work. The remaining resource, which would be close to $6,000 million, would come from Ecopetrol and the District Mayor's Office itself.
Source: Diario del Sur
Date: September 20
Headline: Sucumbíos Committee requested a health post
The social leader of the Cofanía Jardines de Sucumbíos district, Harold Culman, visited Ipiales in order to make commitments with the municipal administration. (…) “Previously we invited all the communities of the district to meet there with the Mayor's Office, the Nariño Governor's Office, and Ecopetrol. Unfortunately, we entered this pandemic issue and that visit was not possible,” said the leader.
Source: Extra Casanare
Date: September 20
Headline: Launched the Digital Synergy 2020 program
265 business ideas were presented for the sixth version of the Incubation System and Early Stage of Casanare program (Synergy), operated by the Chamber of Commerce of Casanare (CCC) and supported by the Governor's Office. The program has the support of strategic allies such as the Yopal Mayor's Office, Sena Casanare, Fundación Amanecer; the universities Unisangil, Unitrópico, Uniremington, and the oil companies Parex Resources and Ecopetrol.
Source: cablenoticias.tv
Date: September 20
Headline: Oil spill in Río Saundé, Nariño, would affect 500 families
The Río Saundé, located in the area of Roberto Payán, Nariño, was affected by an oil spill that would have contaminated the waters that benefit at least 450 families living near this body of water. Environmental authorities are seeking to determine the causes of this fossil fuel spill. (…) The most concerning thing to date is that there has been no statement from the competent authorities, nor from the Ministry of Environment, the Mayor's Office of Roberto Payán, the Government of Nariño, or the company Ecopetrol, which would be the owner of the pipeline that was affected by vandals.
Source: confidencialcolombia.com
Date: September 20
Headline: From words to action
Next week in the Congress of the Republic, debates will begin on the distribution of the national budget for 2021. The decisions we reach will undoubtedly be decisive for the possible rebound of the economy. Hopefully, this will not be another missed opportunity for the Government to put its political framework to work in tune with the cries of the country. (…) Such an undesirable scenario would at the same time be an amusement park for Minister Carrasquilla, who, with a free hand to negotiate, will again bring his proposals that severely punish the pockets of all ordinary Colombians: -The privatization of state assets such as Ecopetrol, ISA, or CENIT.
Source: elnorte.com.co
Date: September 20
Headline: Fracking, between ‘loves and hates’
The discussion around fracking, which is based on the use of large volumes of water and chemicals to drill rocky soils, starts with its defenders, who argue that the country's oil and gas reserves will not last beyond the next five or six years, making the exploitation of detected deposits in the subsoil urgent, but with difficulties for extraction using conventional methods; also, because it affects the royalties received by the regions. (…) One of the main defenders of this technique, the president of Ecopetrol, Felipe Bayón, explains that if the country loses self-sufficiency, the annual cost would be between 20 and 30 trillion pesos. Contrary to his point of view, his critics argue that Colombia is not an oil country and that the sector barely represents almost 1.4 percent of GDP, so it has other energy alternatives, even reactivating agricultural production that has been overlooked by the State itself.
Topics
Source: El Tiempo
Date: September 21
Headline: Attack on the Caño Limón pipeline
According to the Army, this weekend an attack was recorded against the Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline in the department of Arauca. The terrorist action was attributed to the National Liberation Army (Eln) guerrilla. The incident occurred in the Playas de Bojabá village, a rural area of the municipality of Saravena, reported farmers from the area.
Source: La República
Date: September 21
Headline: 1. The dollar would return to prices from the end of July during the week.
2. In recent days, the Colombian peso lost value against the dollar due to uncertainty in the markets regarding the speed at which the global economy will recover. Therefore, after trading below $3,700 at the beginning of the week, the exchange rate closed last week at $3,730 (…) “The lower demand outlook has caused a setback in international prices. Despite the Saudi Energy Minister reiterating the cartel's commitment to comply with supply cuts, the lifting of the oil blockade in Libya, declared by the Libyan National Army since January 17, could further undermine the recovery of prices,” explained José Luis Mojica, economic research analyst at Corficolombiana.
Source: Portafolio
Date: September 21
Headline: 3. The mining and oil fiscal framework of Colombia is «regressive»: IDB
4. Although the country has taken steps in the right direction to design and implement a competitive fiscal framework in order to attract more investment to develop mining and oil projects, there is still a long way to go. This is evident from a report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) from last August, which analyzed the results of tax policies in the extractive sector in 13 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (including Colombia), with a sample of 26 oil projects and 15 mining projects representative of the region.
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: September 21
Headline: 5. Off the record. Criticism from Name
6. And speaking of the Caribbean region, Senator José David Name complained days ago that “how is it possible that mining in El Cesar and La Guajira represents 40% of the GDP of each department and only generates 2% of employment in those departments? That makes no sense.” The congressman, who is one of the leading experts on energy and mining issues, also stated that “the miners did not complain when they had the ton of coal at US$100, they are complaining now that we are in a pandemic.” He also emphasized that “… the serious environmental impact that the Barrancabermeja Refinery is repeatedly causing with the spill of hydrocarbons into nearby water bodies and the poor management of chemical waste is increasingly threatening the biodiversity of ecosystems!”
7. Source: lahoradelaverdad.com.co”
8. New attack on the Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline in Arauca
Date: September 21
Headline: 9. A new act of terrorism and ecocide was perpetrated on the morning of last Sunday in the municipality of Saravena (Arauca), when ELN militants exploded a section of the Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline. This act occurs amid an escalation of criminal actions by the ELN in the northeastern region of the country, especially in Catatumbo, Norte de Santander, and the department of Arauca.
A new act of terrorism and ecocide was perpetrated on the morning of last Sunday in the municipality of Saravena (Arauca), when ELN militants blew up a section of the Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline.
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: September 20
Headline: The patriarchal box (1) By: Eduardo Vargas M.
It has become a common phrase, almost a given, the expression to get out of the box. To do so, it is first necessary to recognize it. Just like the fish in the aquarium -which does not realize the existence of the glass and is so accustomed to its environment that it believes it is natural, without even imagining the lake, the river, or the sea- we have been trapped in a box for more than six thousand years that, although it has had some folds (…) It favors some, of course; a minimal percentage of the global population. It is the universe of the sword, which pierces and extracts, like in fracking, like the woman who must bear children, like public or private resources.
Source: La W Radio
Date: September 20
Source: RCN Radio.
Date: September 20
Source: diariolalibertad.com
Date: September 20
Headline: Illegal refinery dismantled with 36,000 gallons of stolen oil in Norte de Santander.
Army troops located in recent hours, in a rural area of the municipality of El Tarra, Norte de Santander, an illegal refinery, which would be part of the illicit financial system of the Organized Armed Group (GAO)-Eln, structure company Heroes of Catatumbo. (…) With this operational result, the financial and criminal framework of the Organized Armed Group GAO-Eln is significantly weakened; as well as preventing further environmental damage to the water sources and ecosystems of this region, due to the theft of crude oil through illegal drilling of the Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline.
Source: prensalibrecasanare.com
Date: September 20
Headline: In the last week, there have been 7 attacks against the oil infrastructure in Arauca.
In the Islas de Bojabá village, in the municipality of Saravena, armed individuals intimidated personnel from the contracting company Metalpar, who were carrying out repair work at KP 098, and forced the operators of the backhoe to make a cut to locate the pipeline. (…) Cenit reported that it activated the contingency plan, installed control points to protect the intake points of the aqueducts, and informed the competent authorities, the Municipal Risk Management Council of Toledo, Saravena, and Arauquita. The National Army was mobilized to the affected areas to ensure the safety of Cenit personnel conducting inspections and evaluations of the situations recorded along the right of way of the pipeline.
Institutions
Source: La Opinión
Date: September 21
Headline: They are taking the gasoline.
Cúcuta and Norte de Santander cannot end up paying the price for the subsidized gasoline ‘evaporating’, whether it continues the route through the trails to Venezuela or goes to feed the laboratories for cocaine production in Catatumbo, which we believe is less likely. (…) The Ministry of Mines cannot simply come and say that if these leaks continue, the differential price benefit for the border will simply end, because a solution like this would be like ‘putting gasoline on the fire’.
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: September 20
Headline: Off the record “Out of base”
A businessman in the hydrocarbons sector is of the thesis that the debate on fracking in Colombia is “out of base.” What is the reason? As he explained, the analyses being conducted globally on the future of the oil market are not the most flattering and, on the contrary, there are fears that in the short and medium term, the demand for fossil fuel will begin to decline definitively. In that line of thought, he considered that, for the moment, venturing large investments in fracking projects in countries that do not have much precedent in this type of crude oil and gas extraction methodology is very risky. What will the Minister of Mines, Diego Mesa Puyo, say?
Source: diariolalibertad.com
Date: September 20
Headline: Regulations guarantee that fracking is done responsibly: Naturgas
The practice of searching for hydrocarbons in the country through fracking still has great opponents, including environmentalists, congressmen, and part of the general community, who consider this method harmful to the environment and aquifers. Recently, the Congress of the Republic eliminated Article 210 of the royalty project, which removes incentives for companies that want to carry out this type of exploration. And although the Ministry of Mines and Energy indicated that this article did not prohibit or approve this practice, it can discourage several multinational companies interested in developing such processes. (…) Regarding the offshore topic, it was mentioned that they hope the new regulations will facilitate exploratory activity much more and maintain the interest of important players like Shell, Exxon, Noble Energy, Equinor, and Ecopetrol, companies that have high technical and environmental standards. “We must expand our frontier as Norway, Brazil, Guyana, and the United States have done," he specified.
Source: elnorte.com.co
Date: September 20
Headline: The US$400 million that would be invested in the 4 fracking pilots
According to the 2020 Natural Gas Sector Report presented by Promigas, the country has 54 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of potential natural gas reserves, 30 of which are offshore in the maturation stage between 2024 and 2028, and 24 TCF in Unconventional Reservoirs (UR) in Magdalena Medio, Cesar-Ranchería, and Catatumbo. Eric Flesch, president of Promigas, specified that if this energy potential materializes, it would be equivalent to 16 times the current proven reserves of 3.2 TCF, which implies about 130 years of natural gas self-sufficiency. He specified that the projected investments in the call from the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) for the four UR pilots amount to US$ 100 million each.
Colombian Association of Oil and Gas