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In the days since the release of the General Controller’s report on the cost overruns associated with the modernization of the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar), the revelations have caused many to take to the media with their own interpretation of the events and what it means. We share some of the more notable ones.

The Chamber of Oil Goods and Services (Campetrol) has published a graph which shows the average production cost per barrel of crude of the world’s largest 20 oil producers, Colombia’s average cost is US$35.30/barrel. This makes it the seventh most expensive producer.

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) held its annual summit, which included a discussion on the role of the organization in the final stages of the peace process. The entity’s members will work with the UN in the verification of the transition process.

Speculation has risen in the local press that the high proportion of heavy crude in Colombia and Venezuela means that already operators are selling oil below the cost of producing it.

The General Controller has released a 200 page report on the cost overruns incurred in modernizing the Cartagena Refinery, and accused Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) of spending US$4.02B more than the original budget.

Outspoken Casanare congressional representative Jorge Camilo Abril warned the Colombian Petroleum Associations (ACP) that since oil companies benefited for nearly 15 years from oil prices around US$100/barrel, the high profits should mean they increase their investments in hard times.

Alirio Barrera has taken office as Casanare Governor and immediately took to one of the department’s main issues: the General Royalty System (SGR). In a development event organized by the SGR’s handler, the National Panning Department, he called for a new royalty reform.

Theoretically, lower oil prices mean some resources will cease to be economically viable and will have to be written down. “How much will be written down?”is a question that we frequently get asked. Gran Tierra (TSX:GTE) gives us first look, although it is a special case.

The Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) has released a report on its members’ spending on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, but budget cuts for social programs loom for 2016. These and other CSR related stories in our periodic summary.

The Finance Minister Mauricio Cárdenas gave an interview in the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos meeting and insisted that Colombia’s economy is successfully weathering the turbulence of the continued fall in oil prices. Meanwhile back in Colombia, doubts arise as to how to finance the government’s National Development Plan.