Ecopetrol starts fracking pilot plan in Colombia
The company took stock of the industry in the South American country that will allow you to establish the route of action, the necessary resources as well as the possible impact on the environment
Colombia started the fracking pilot plan through state-owned Ecopetrol. The president of the oil company Felipe Bayón elaborated a summary of the aspects that were considered in the preliminary study, which included the “current situation of the company and the current moment of the reserves.”
The study involved 13 experts to determine the strategies in the second phase of the fracking project in Colombia. In general, Ecopetrol stresses the need to do the job well, respecting communities, the environment, sustainability, health standards and seismicity.
“This process should encourage citizen participation, so a first condition must be to clearly know the rights of the populations, and it is necessary to obtain the ‘social license’ since this requires greater transparency in the way they advance activities, determine actions, invest surpluses and destine the resources to benefit local communities,” the report states.
An important aspect in the process is that currently the exploration is suspended by judicial decision of the Council of State, taking into account the risks to the environment and human health.
The background of the pilot plan outlines the warning made by the Comptroller in 2012, which stated: “the increase in seismicity, water pollution and the consequent affectation of healthiness caused by fracking were potentially risky, even more if the technique was developed in protected areas and strategic ecosystems, such as the páramos. “
The fracking pilot plan is in its preparation phase, so there is still a long way to go hand in hand with Ecopetrol and the Colombian authorities of the oil industry.
M.Pino
Source: Elnuevosiglo.com.co
