Pronouncement of the Colombian Association of Oil and Gas on the ruling that orders the suspension of the environmental license of the Kalé pilot and the licensing process of Platero

Regarding the ruling of the first instance tutela of the First Administrative Oral Court of the Judicial Circuit of Barrancabermeja, which orders the suspension of the environmental license of the Kalé pilot project and the licensing process of Platero, which aim to develop the Comprehensive Research Pilot Projects - PPII, the Colombian Association of Oil and Gas, ACP, wishes to express to the public:

1. The oil and gas industry has been a driver of socioeconomic development in Colombia and its regions, being a sector that operates with criteria of environmental, social, and economic sustainability; that evolves with technological innovation to generate the energy that supports the energy needs of Colombians; and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national targets.
2. For more than 100 years, this industry, which is composed of more than 500 companies including operators and service contractors, with a presence in at least 97 municipalities and 19 departments with E&P activities, which has 95 thousand employees who work honestly and with commitment to provide the oil, gas, and fuels that Colombians demand, has been the target of criticism and accusations from various political fronts that irresponsibly seek to weaken and eliminate it.
3. In recent months, it has been proven that the international trend is an anti-fracking geopolitical campaign in response to the threat that the development of resources in Unconventional Reservoirs (UR) represents for countries like Russia that do not want more oil and gas entering the market, given its participation in both. This has led to the point where even with technical and scientific arguments, it cannot be proven and provide reassurance to those who fear the implementation of this technique, as it has become a political discussion.
4. Since Colombia began to consider the possibility of developing its resources in Unconventional Reservoirs since 2009, and in light of the concerns generated by the technique of Multi-Stage Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing or fracking, the current national government opted to form a Commission of Experts, to provide analysis, concepts, and recommendations regarding the exploration of UR with this technique. The Commission indicated that (i) Colombia has one of the best regulations in the field; (ii) the risks of this are known and, therefore, foreseeable, preventable, and mitigable; and (iii) recommended conducting Comprehensive Research Pilot Projects, PPII, which are of a scientific and technical nature.
5. For this reason, the Colombian Association of Oil and Gas, ACP, regrets and does not share the sense of the tutela ruling, mainly because Ecopetrol, the operator of the Kalé and Platero pilots, processed the request for prior consultation in the times established in the environmental and technical regulation, to which the Directorate of the National Authority of Prior Consultation certified the non-proceeding. That is, neither the plaintiff Association in the tutela nor any other was identified in the process of preparing the Environmental Impact Study, EIA.
6. The ACP trusts in the institutional solidity of the National Directorate of Prior Consultation and the National Authority of Environmental Licenses, which verified and determined the non-proceeding of the prior consultation in the environmental licensing processes of the PPII. Both the authorities and the companies have legally carried out the licensing process, respecting and involving the participation of the communities that may actually be affected by the implementation of these projects. In this sense, we trust that it will be the corresponding higher judicial and legal instances that determine the continuation and development of these important projects for the country.
7. Colombia will not stop consuming gas and oil or their derivatives just because it does not do fracking. From the hydrocarbons sector, we have insisted on the importance of not missing the opportunity to guarantee the energy security of the country with the necessary resources to supply the domestic market and achieve generating surpluses for export. Even more importantly, the possibility of developing Unconventional Reservoirs to achieve the benefits that this development would bring to Colombian households and, in general, to the country, in economic, social, and environmental terms.
8. Finally, for the ACP, it is difficult to understand that when the world and Colombia need to produce more oil and gas to lower the prices of these energy sources, and avoid greater inflation and cost of living for Colombians, there are political sectors that refuse to let science and technology inform the country about the possibility or not of responsibly developing its natural resources.