After months of articles predicting that the Colombian oil
industry would soon enter a period of decline, Colombian oil production fell
for the second straight month to an average of just 982,000 bpd in January.
Just a month earlier, oil production had averaged 993,800 bpd, already a drop
from the country’s previous average of 1 million bpd.
Although the Colombian Mines and Energy Ministry blamed
“technical maintenance” at the Rubiales and Quifa fields, observers of the oil
industry know that the real culprits are the collapse in global oil prices and
Colombia’s dwindling oil reserves.
El
Tiempo reported that, in addition to declining production, new oil
discoveries fell 39% in 2015, over an already disappointing level in 2014. The
Colombian National Hydrocarbons Agency revealed that just 17 oil fields were
discovered last year, grossly insufficient to maintain the country’s proven oil
reserves of just 6 years.
In addition to the decline in oil production, Colombian coal
production also fell 3.5% in 2015 over the previous year. Colombia is the world’s
fifth-largest coal exporter, and Reuters
blamed difficulties with coal transportation for the decline. Silvana Habib
Daza, President of the National Mining Agency, stressed that, “We are sure that
despite the difficulties, the figures show a solid mining industry.”
In the wake of the Colombian Constitutional Court’s decision
to ban all mining activities in Colombia’s páramos, El
Espectador and El
Tiempo published articles providing additional context for the decision.
El Espectador interviewed Juan Carlos Henao, ex-president of
the Constitutional Court, who explained that the decision is not about
demonizing the mining industry, but rather simply about protecting a vital
Colombian ecosystem. Henao also agreed with the Court that local communities
need to be included in the decision-making process regarding mining projects.
El Tiempo’s article was directed more towards the lay
reader, explaining the ecological and environmental importance of páramos for
Colombia’s water supply.
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