ACP as a source of information
Source: La Voz de Yopal – Regional
Date: July 02
GREMIO
Source: El Tiempo
Date: July 03
Headline: Ecopetrol and ExxonMobil will join for ‘fracking’ pilots’
As the Government advances in defining the guidelines for the development of Comprehensive Research Pilot Projects (PPII) in unconventional deposits (YNC), through the technique of multi-stage hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling, known as fracking, the companies that aspire to be part of these are moving their cards. In this sense, Ecopetrol and the American ExxonMobil Exploration Colombia Limited announced that they are progressing in a preliminary agreement to work together on these pilots in the middle Magdalena valley, with the aim of sealing an alliance.
Source: La República
Date: July 03
Headline: Ecopetrol partners with Exxon for fracking pilots
In July of last year, the president of ExxonMobil Exploration Colombia, Fernando Sarria, celebrated in an interview with LR that they had obtained a block in the Colombian Caribbean to start working on an offshore deposit and said that the future of the sector in the country was in the execution of fracking pilots. (…) Those regulations to finalize the pilots of unconventional deposits are in their final approval stage (possibly this process will take place this month), and according to what was said last month by the president of the ANH, Armando Zamora, in September the call for research projects would be carried out, so that these initiatives then go through an environmental licensing process. (…) The previous one, announced on July 31 of last year and launched in November, was a joint venture between Ecopetrol and Occidental to develop unconventional deposits in the United States, in the Permian basin (Texas), a strategic area for oil production.
Source: Portafolio
Date: July 03
Headline: Fracking: Exxon-Ecopetrol pilot
After several months of analysis, the management of Ecopetrol decided to lean towards the multinational ExxonMobil to accompany it in the development of fracking pilot projects in the Magdalena Medio, as Portafolio anticipated last November. The decision of the national oil company was made months after the Government announced the establishment of the protocols that will define the conditions for developing Unconventional Deposits (YNC) in the country. “This agreement is subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions and to the definitive issuance of the technical and environmental regulation, which is very advanced in the Ministries of Mines and Energy and Environment and in the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH),” said a spokesperson for Ecopetrol.
Source: El Universal
Date: July 03
Headline: Ecopetrol Defense. By. Gil Alberto Falcón Prasca
Ecopetrol contributes a good part of the nation's finances, and any reduction in the state's shareholding will mean the loss of recurring income within the public budget. Cenit Logistics and Hydrocarbon Transportation, one of Ecopetrol's main subsidiaries, owner of 82% of the hydrocarbon transportation infrastructure, the main ports, the Coveñas and Tumaco terminal, was created by Ecopetrol in 2012, transferring ownership of ports, oil pipelines, multipurpose pipelines, unloading and loading facilities, holds 100% of its shares, and is one of its most valuable, important, and strategic assets. (…) The USO calls for Ecopetrol not to allow the judicial liquidation of Bioenergy and to demonstrate that it is capable of taking the necessary managerial actions to prevent the bankruptcy of this company that generates employment and supports the national industry.
Source: Vanguardia Liberal
Date: July 03
Headline: Ecopetrol will invest nearly $1,000 million in La Lizama
The Los Acacios sector, remembered for recently leading a protest to demand that authorities pay attention to humanitarian aid there, received good news this week from Ecopetrol, but this time related to social investment. This involves the recovery work of the bank in this area, located along the road that connects the La Fortuna district with the municipality of San Vicente de Chucurí, where the state oil company will invest nearly $1,000 million. Dozens of families will benefit from this work as part of the agreements established between Ecopetrol, the San Vicente de Chucurí Mayor's Office, and the La Lizama community.
Source: La Opinión
Date: July 03
Headline: Strengthening measures in Tibú and Sardinata fields
Ecopetrol strengthens the action plan with strict biosecurity measures, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect officials, family members, and workers from allied companies that carry out activities in the Tibú and Sardinata fields, in Norte de Santander. The company reinforced the protocols that have been implemented since the beginning of the emergency, according to the guidelines of the National Government, the World Health Organization (WHO), and local authorities. “Some of the measures include limiting the number of workers to the vital minimum, implementing remote work for collaborators, a 14×14 day shift protocol, taking PCR tests with negative results for incoming and outgoing personnel from the field, mandatory mask use, and social distancing of two meters,” reported Ecopetrol.
Source: La Opinión
Date: July 03
Headline: Workers from Norte de Santander build Aqueduct
The Francisco de Paula Santander Metropolitan Aqueduct project will guarantee the supply of drinking water from the Zulia River for the next 50 years to more than one million inhabitants of Cúcuta, Los Patios, and Villa del Rosario, and is being executed with a good percentage of local labor. (…) Ecopetrol contributes $241 billion and the Government of Norte de Santander $43,000, for a total value of $384 billion, financing that is guaranteed for its successful completion. (…) Ecopetrol is responsible for its execution, being in charge of its management, conducting studies, and preparing the conceptual, basic, and detailed engineering, as well as purchasing the main equipment, among others.
Source: Forbes.co
Date: July 03
Headline: ISA and Ecopetrol, the companies that the Government would put up for sale in 2021
Although it is a race against time, if realized, it would help balance the country's finances in the short term after the current crisis, according to experts. Last week, the National Government published the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (Mfmp) in which it provided the macro and fiscal guidelines for 2020 and subsequent years. In this plan, presented by the Ministry of Finance, the divestment of assets was once again put on the table. In other words, the Executive will put up for sale a percentage of the stake it has in companies relevant to the country, among which Ecopetrol and ISA could be listed, although these are not specifically named in the document. (…) Before going into details, it is worth mentioning that from the majority stake that the Government has in Ecopetrol, it would only be authorized to sell about 8.5% and in ISA, a little over 50%, as explained by Felipe Campos, director of economic research at Alianza Valores. If this sale were to take place, the Executive would obtain about $18 trillion.
Source: asiescucuta.com
Date: July 03
Headline: Ecopetrol delivers humanitarian aid in Norte de Santander.
More than 12,700 vulnerable families from 11 municipalities benefit from this initiative, with a contribution from Ecopetrol and Cenit of more than $1.581 million. As part of this humanitarian aid, the U'wa indigenous communities of Toledo, Cubará, and Saravena, and Afro-descendant families from the latter municipality, will receive 1,495 food baskets. Ecopetrol and Cenit, through the Colombian Red Cross, began delivering food baskets to 12,713 vulnerable families from 11 municipalities in the departments of Norte de Santander, Arauca, and Boyacá. This humanitarian aid aims to improve food security for communities in a state of vulnerability as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Topics
Source: La República
Date: July 03
Headline: The idea is to reach the crisis bottom as soon as possible.
It is a fact that the past months of April and May have been the worst in the recent history of the country, not only economically but socially, as the deaths and infections caused by COVID-19 are unparalleled since Colombia has existed as a country, just over two centuries. (…) A light is beginning to be seen at the end of the tunnel with the gradual return to commercial normality, with oil prices above US$40 per barrel, with vehicle sales that have grown 30%, and the imminent reactivation of air transport, which is vital for the entire economy to reactivate in an integrated manner, as Colombia is a country of regions only interconnected commercially by air routes.
Source: La República
Date: July 03
Headline: The COVID-19 pandemic left the figures for the first half of the year in the red.
After several months of declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, Colombia reports more than 100,000 cases and raises alarms, as the economic shock brought by the virus altered future prospects and left gaps in all links of productive activity in the first six months of the year. (…) And despite the reactivation, the fear is that in the second half this will be slower than expected, as, for example, in the hydrocarbons sector, the production figures for oil and gas, as of May, show significant declines, with crude experiencing the largest drop (-18.1%) since 2009.
Source: La República
Date: July 03
Headline: The process between McDermott and Reficar is reactivated.
McDermott announced that it completed its reorganization process in the U.S. on June 30, and now has the liquidity to continue its operations. Therefore, in Colombia, Reficar explained that the legal dispute it has with that firm will continue its normal course. The initiative is now relevant as the defendant has clarified its accounts. Behind this dispute is a project management consulting contract.
Institutional
Source: El Tiempo
Date: July 03
Headline: There are offers for exploration areas.
To start the third cycle of area assignment, the National Hydrocarbons Agency of Colombia (ANH) indicated that two companies submitted five expressions of interest for requests to incorporate areas for the assignment of exploration and production contracts for hydrocarbons.
Source: La República
Date: July 03
Headline: Diego Mesa was sworn in as the new Minister of Mines.
Yesterday, the swearing-in of the new Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa, took place, who assumed the role on June 26, after the resignation of María Fernanda Suárez, who led the portfolio for 22 months. Mesa is an economist with expertise in the design and formulation of public policies for the mining-energy sector, and was the Deputy Minister of Energy from 2018 to 2020. Additionally, from the presidency of the ANH board of directors, he has led the reactivation of the hydrocarbons sector, including the signing of 31 new E&P contracts so far in this Government.
Source: El Nuevo Siglo
Date: July 03
Headline: The pulse for fracking pilots grows.
The Government's idea of bringing fracking to the country remains stalled after this week 20 congressmen from different parties and an NGO, concerned about the potential environmental impact, filed a contempt incident before the Council of State claiming that in Decree 328 from last February, the conditions set by this High Court to advance with the pilot projects are not met, with which the Duque administration hopes to verify that this technique can be developed safely on a large scale. (…) This newspaper sought the reaction of the Ministry of Mines regarding the contempt incident filed against Decree 328 from last February, which, as mentioned, sets the guidelines for the development of fracking pilot projects.
Source: larepublica.co
Date: July 02
Headline: Diego Mesa was sworn in today as the new Minister of Mines and Energy.
Today, the swearing-in of the new Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa, takes place, who assumed the role on June 26, after the resignation of María Fernanda Suárez, who led the portfolio for 22 months. Mesa is an economist with expertise in the design and formulation of public policies for the mining-energy sector, and was the Deputy Minister of Energy from 2018 to 2020. Before entering the Government, the new Minister worked as an economist and expert in the Fiscal Policy Department of the International Monetary Fund. He has authored international publications and participated in national and international forums on economic and fiscal issues for the mining-energy sector. Additionally, from the presidency of the ANH board of directors, he has led the reactivation of the hydrocarbons sector, including the signing of 31 new E&P contracts so far in this Government.
Colombian Association of Oil and Gas