News and AnalysIs for

This map is the portion of the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANLA)’s detailed map of exploration and production blocks in the area around the Caribbean islands of San Andres. The blue-grey color means the blocks are available for assignment but currently unassigned. It is doubtful if anyone will ask for them now. The Environment Ministry just had the area (known as “Seaflower”) declared one of 18 marine areas under the “Protocol on Specially Protected Wildlife Areas in the Caribbean Region”.

Yesterday a prominent Colombian congressman, Simon Gaviria went on a national radio program and made a statement (which he attributed to the Finance Minister) about Pacific Rubiales that – if true – would have had a significant impact on the company’s future performance. We will not repeat it so we are not even accidentally responsible for continuing a rumor which is patently false./

We have been collecting financial and operational data on the companies with significant production in Colombia. Our database goes back to 2009 and so far covers nine companies in depth. The seven in the chart are sufficiently mature for us to estimate their average Operating Income for the last year. Economic theory says that larger companies in terms of revenue should have better margins if only because they can spread their fixed costs over a bigger base. Sometimes larger companies lose this advantage by being bloated and inefficient.

Pacific Rubiales receives a lot of criticism in the alternative press for its massive publicity campaign. Image advertising is seemingly everywhere and the company is the major sponsor of the National Soccer Team. Websites like La Silla Vacia, Kien y Ke or RazonPublica.com speculate that the publicity is an attempt to buy the mainstream media and whitewash what must be terrible things the company must be doing.

Colombia’s Auditor General — known in Spanish as the Contralora — is supposed to be responsible for assuring that the nation’s resources are well spent and that revenues reflect economic activity. Lately however, Sandra Morelli Rico has become concerned that the Environment Ministry (MinAmbiente) has not been sufficiently vigilant on environmental issues, especially in the extractive sector. We commented on her letter about non-conventional hydrocarbons extraction here. On Monday, October 22nd the office published a report criticizing a number of projects in the extractive and energy sectors for reasons which — while they will play well to certain sectors of public opinion — in some cases appear to lack a basis in fact.

This is more fun than anything else at this point. We have taken our Security Incidents Near Hydrocarbons counts and color coded the departments. The more red the color the more incidents. The fewer, the “cooler” the situation and thus the department is “blue”. We have superimposed the outlines of the major basins for reference.