It was already burning, and you should not blame the firefighters, said Ecopetrol president Juan Carlos Echeverry in response to questions regarding the role of current ministers and government officials in the overruns of the Cartagena Refinery. This and other stories in our update on this matter.
The capital of the Atlantico Department, Barranquilla is looking to position itself as the logistics hub for offshore hydrocarbons activity in Colombia’s Caribbean waters.
With “intelligent austerity” governments around the world are looking for the best way to adjust to the oil price levels.
The recent decision of the Constitutional Court to prohibit oil activities in Orito, Putumayo goes much deeper than that particular municipality. It signals a shift in the balance of power between Bogotá and regions when it comes to extractive activities.
“What is signed in Havana will be subject to a plebiscite, whether the Farc likes it or not”, said President Juan Manuel Santos in reaction to an open letter from the guerrilla that it would not be the adequate legal or constitutional instrument.
The Chamber of Energy Goods and Services (Campetrol) published an analysis in which it found that calculations of Colombia’s reserve life are much lower due to the fall in oil prices, and do not even extend for five years.
The president of the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) Francisco Lloreda talked about the impact that the fall of oil prices has had on Colombia’s producing regions in a long interview, and urged the government to do more to incentivize exploration and lower the fiscal load on companies.
The controversy surrounding the soaring costs to modernize the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar) has hit new heights (or are they lows?), with control bodies promising to investigate former management, presidents accusing presidents and much more.
The Constitutional Court has ordered the immediate suspension of oil activities in the Orito Municipality in Putumayo, and ruled that there was no prior consultation with indigenous communities in the region.
The El Niño weather phenomenon has meant the highest use of thermal energy generation in Colombia’s history, says the director of Jorge Valencia Marín of the Mining Energy Planning Unit (UPME). However he assures that the grid is working fine, and the historic use is still “normal”.