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The Minister of Mines and Energy Tomás González says that additional tax support is an alternative for the industry beyond already-approved measures, but industry observers question how these will work out in practice.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has concluded an inspection of submarine pipelines in the Coveñas port, which will connect exportable crude from the land terminal to loading boats at sea.

The president of the USO oil workers union Edwin Castaño said that the “reinvention” of Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) announced by the NOC’s new president Juan Carlos Echeverry is misguided and instead it should focus on directly operating all of its smaller fields.

Unfortunately, this week we saw the expected reaction to the end of the Farc’s unilateral truce. Incidents were up to 28 but guerrilla-initiated incidents more than doubled and there was a return to direct infrastructure attacks.

Since the ceasefire has been lifted some 18 acts of violence have been registered, accounting for 85% of the attacks made over the last five months, as the future of the talks remain in question.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas), the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), the National Council on Economic and Social Policy (CONPES) and the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, among other governmental groups, have established policies to promote offshore and unconventional energy sector development.

The National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) has put out a call for successful cases of social development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in regions with hydrocarbons production.

Missing hard drives with confidential data on offshore blocks and questions about potentially falsified contract guarantees have hit the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), in what is turning into a true mystery drama playing out in local press headlines.

Over 1,000 royalty projects are at risk of having their approval revoked while Santander’s royalty income takes a bigger hit than expected. These and other stories in our periodic roundup.

As part of its new strategy, Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) is planning to focus on its larger producing blocks and implement a divestment plan for at least 45 of its smaller fields.