A meeting in Yopal that included all the big institutions from the national government for a roads project in Casanare yielded an offer of support from the national government, but the local authorities say it pales in comparison to the costs of keeping heavy trucks on the road.
Frequent attacks on the Caño Limon and Bicentennial Pipeline have claimed another causality: 500 jobs with Occidental de Colombia (Oxy), who has cut the positions as their pumping station in Arauca has been unable to keep up optimum crude levels for a month due to attacks from the ELN guerrilla, while another report says partner Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has declared force majeure on shipments for the same reason.
Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) transport and logistics spinoff Cenit has celebrated its first year of operations, and hailed the completion of the Bicentennial Pipeline as the highlight for this first year.
President Juan Manuel Santos told local press that an agreement with the Ecuadorian government to transport crude from Putumayo to the Ecuadorian Pacific coast is ready, an option to help alleviate congested transportation routes in the area but not without security problems due to guerrilla attacks.
With an eye on the nearly US$10.6B that Ecopetrol has to invest over 2014 in different aspects of its business, the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure (CCI) has formed an alliance with the NOC to ensure the hydrocarbons investment plan brings benefits for the sector and oil producer alike.
In Monterrey a tanker passing another tanker truck crashed into two other tankers that had just collided while ascending a curvy bit of highway outside the locality known as “The curves”. Witnesses of the accident said that the driver passing the other tanker managed to avoid a full collision with the two other tankers that were stopped, but in doing so ended up in the ditch destroying all the trees and vegetation in its path.
Colombia state owned electrical transmission company Interconexcion Electrica (ISA) is looking to acquire 5% participation of the Pacific Pipeline as part of a new business venture.
Stories this week involving the public roadways and the oil industry include talks between local leaders and Equion, an Ecopetrol program to pave roads in Arauca, restrictions in Caquetá and more.
Local hiring and the ongoing debate between the economic benefits to the local economy achieved through using tankers to transport crude stood out as the top items in this week’s road review.
Editor’s note: This version of the story clarifies that Gran Tierra Energy had indeed issued a press release to certain local media outlets informing that the suspension of trucks would be a temporary arrangement after HCC received the full release from the company.
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