News and AnalysIs for

Bottom Line: The Colombian domestic market is unbalanced with respect to supply so the government – and Pacific Rubiales –  are looking to export.

Bottom Line: Expanding the domestic demand for gas and bring the presence of the state to some often forgotten regions.

Bottom Line: This is taken from a Pacific Rubiales press release so it has the expected positive tone. Still given the industry’s reputation for stealing the “black gold” and leaving behind nothing but an environmental mess, any publicity with a positive spin has to be celebrated.

Bottom Line: MinMinas “propaganda” to encourage vehicle conversion to gas.

Bottom Line: The changes are logical, permitting a company to take advantage of conventional opportunities discovered in a unconventional block and vice versa, obviously with some adjustments in the case where the cheaper and less stringent unconventional blocks.

Bottom Line: Expressions of outrage over the killing of five Ecopetrol contractors at the hands of the Farc.

Bottom Line: The indigenous community consultation phase for the new Mining Code will start next week.

Bottom Line: Venezuela proposes maintaining prices between US$80 and US$120/barrel. Colombia agrees. The question of course is whether the price can be controlled in the face of demand-side uncertainty.

July 4, 2012 The  Colombian press has widely reported the death of five Ecopetrol maintenance sub-contractors in a bombing.

Bottom-Line: Fenoco transports thermal coal to the Colombian coast.The intervention will definitely cause disruption in the company.