Companies in the hydrocarbons sector participated in the International Environmental Fair - FIMA 2018, which brought together representatives from the National Government, the private sector, academia, international entities, civil organizations, and society in general, to discuss the challenges and issues in the pursuit of environmental protection and to present, from different perspectives, the contributions and advances in this area.
GranTierra Energy, Parex Resources, and Equión Energía were the exploration and production companies that participated in the project exhibition, as part of the Fair, in order to share experiences in the management and protection of natural resources within their operations.
“We consider this a great opportunity to convey the vision we have of sustainable development around our industrial projects. At GranTierra, we do this because we are convinced not only that it is possible, but that it is our responsibility, that at the end of the day our balance is positive for the environment,” said Enrique Villalobos, Vice President of Operations at GranTierra Energy.
Villalobos explained that the company is committed to key issues such as the protection of water resources, the reduction of deforestation, and reforestation initiatives that align with the Sustainable Development Goals and the commitments of the Paris Agreement, “demonstrating that it is indeed possible to grow the country's economy while fulfilling these objectives.”.
Likewise, Paola González, specialist in Socio-Environmental Affairs at Equión Energía, stated that “participating in these spaces is the opportunity to inform people, to tell them that we are capable of doing things right and that we can be a clean industry that contributes to the community and the country, and not, on the contrary, detracts from it with environmental impacts.”.
The company Parex Resources held an exhibition, led by the National University, in which it explained to attendees basic aspects of geology in a didactic manner, in order to show the processes of hydrocarbon extraction from the subsurface and its relationship with water sources.
“We want to explain to people that indeed oil can coexist with water, with nature, that there are technological and human resources to do our work within the framework of good practices, without intervening in the environment or generating any type of impact,” explained Miltón Jerez, petroleum engineer of the company.
Thus, for three days the companies shared with attendees at FIMA the environmental practices that govern their operations, as well as the results of environmental impact projects that have allowed the involvement of communities and contributed to the generation of environmental knowledge in the regions of the country, with the commitment to work together for the conservation of Colombia and its natural wealth.
To learn more about the environmental projects of the oil and gas industry visit www.industriapetroleoygas.com
Colombian Association of Oil and Gas