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The Minister of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) Tomas González said that its PIPE2 plan is already keeping investment in Colombia and production above a million barrels a day.

The Superior Tribunal of Pasto (Nariño) has ruled in favor of a Putumayo based indigenous association (ACIMVIO) and ruled against a prior decision from Interior Ministry to not certify the presence of the Inga group in an area of influence for a Gran Tierra Energy (TSX:GTE) exploration project.

Designed to boost the government’s fiscal income, the November 2014 tax reform and resulting increase in the CREE surcharge has created a strong disincentive for investment that will end up causing much more harm to state finances, says the Colombian Chamber of Oil Goods and Services (Campetrol).

The Ministry of Environment (MinAmbiente) led by its Minister Gabriel Vallejo López and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos held a review of its performance over the last five years and laid out goals for the next three, but had nothing to say on the issue of environmental licenses.

Representatives from the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) met with representatives from the gasoline and fuel supply chain who called for a frank look at how the Ministry’s formula sets prices each month.

Bolsa Mercantil de Colombia (BMC) has presented the very first report of the Natural Gas Market Manager after it began operations six months ago which confirmed that supply is falling while demand rises, pushing prices up.

The Caquetá Planning Secretary Julián Carvajal Zamora said that officials from Emerald Energy did not attend a call to meet with affected communities before starting their exploration work, which he says is a needed step for an exploration and production license to be granted.

Although there is a strong possibility that 2015 can finish with consecutive monthly production of above a million barrels, sustaining that number into the midterm or long term is looking very difficult say industry experts.

With a lackluster result in Mexico’s Round One, the focus now turns to the next four rounds as observers comment on how the first results can be interpreted and impact the rest of the process.

Colombia’s State Council has ruled to support a decision from the Casanare Administrative Tribunal to protect the Tinije Lake area from hydrocarbons exploration and production activities as an environmental reserve, in the area of the LLA-26 block.