Forming a dialogue and advocating greater transparency among stake holders involved in the extraction of hydrocarbons is a needed but difficult task in the Colombian countryside.
The USO says that it has formally started negotiations with services firm Weatherford, in which greater union rights and benefits for its affiliates are the issue. The union accused the firm of aggressive tactics against its members.
“With little information and less preparation, the government has already signed 13 contracts to produce oil with these controversial technology”, warns a national publication, and says that fracking is a risky answer to Colombia’s falling reserve count.
The president of the Colombian Petroleum Association Francisco Lloreda warned that in addition to the risk of importing crude in 2022, by next year the country will be forced to import natural gas to cover its demand. Venezuela has also said that it is ready to export gas to Colombia.
Farc commander ‘Timochenko’ said that he has ordered the guerrilla to stop collecting ‘taxes’, or extortion money, due the pending peace agreement. And the wait for a ruling on a plebiscite from the Constitutional Court stays tense.
When oil prices were above US$100 and the money was flowing — the ‘bonanza’ as many publications like to call it — an estimated CoP$57T (US$19B at current exchange rates) flowed into government coffers. Where did this capital get spent?
It has now been three months since Mauricio de la Mora stepped down as the president of the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), complicating any effort by the government to strengthen the oil industry, but the government does not seem in a hurry to replace him.
Following accusations from the retail fuel station association Fendipetróleo that Terpel is taking advantage of its status as a wholesaler and retailer of fuel to crush small businesses with an unfair advantage and low prices, the firm’s president Sylvia Escovar responded.
Tomás González left his MinMinas post in March and April’s gasoline price announcement was delayed by several weeks. May’s was on time but in June prices were frozen until further notice. Now it appears if July’s are as well.
Meta’s capital Villavicencio has seen an increase in unemployment due to the cutbacks in the oil industry, although the city has also seen a social housing boom in the last year. Mayor Wilmar Barbosa is concerned this trend could also be affected.
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