The Group’s production so far in May has been 651,000 boed (barrels per day). The most significant impacts are recorded in gas and white products (LPG and NGL), mainly in the Cusiana and Floreña fields, and to a lesser extent in crude oil production in Putumayo, Meta, Arauca and Boyacá.
The public order situation that the country is going through, where social protests have resulted in blockades of its main roads and the occurrence of isolated events against Ecopetrol’s infrastructure, could force a rethink of the business plan for 2021.
In a statement, the Colombian oil company warned of the adverse impact that the protests have caused in the operation of the production, transportation, refining and marketing segments.
For more information on the topic: Fuel problems during the national strike
The Colombian company maintains that “Ecopetrol estimates that these adverse events should not present material impacts that compromise the fulfillment of the goals of our business plan for 2021”. But he admits that he “cannot anticipate the duration of the protests, and whether they could continue to have a negative impact on operations.”
Remember that the effects on the exploration and production segment are considerable. The Group’s production so far in May has been 651,000 boed (barrels per day). It says in the report that the most significant impacts are registered in gas and white products (LPG and NGL), mainly in the Cusiana and Floreña fields, and to a lesser extent in crude production in Putumayo, Meta, Arauca and Boyacá.
This result in production is also explained by the continuity of water management restrictions in the Castilla field, says the oil company.
Due to transportation problems, high levels of inventories have accumulated in the wholesale plants and the network of pipelines. Cenit has had to suspend, intermittently, the pumping in some of its systems. This has resulted in a transported volume of refined products during May of 224,000 barrels per day. For its part, the volume of crude oil transported in the month was 716,000 barrels per day.
You may also be interested in: The ghost of shortages begins to become real
Regarding refining activity, the Barrancabermeja Refinery has reported a load of 207,000 bd for the month of May, given the lower availability of domestic crude and low withdrawals of fuel, petrochemical and industrial products. The Cartagena Refinery operation has not been impacted, the report says.
On the other hand, the commercialization has been reduced in the national demand for diesel (-33%), gasoline (-15%) and jet (-1%) compared to the levels expected for the month of May.
Follow the news of El Espectador on Google NewsLikewise, the demand for Ecopetrol’s gas has been reduced by approximately 16% in the thermal and industrial sectors, and in LPG by about 41% during the month.
The departments most affected in terms of fuel supply have been Valle del Cauca, Nariño, Cauca, Huila, and Caquetá.
The report highlights that, despite these circumstances, the Ecopetrol Group is implementing adjustments to its operations and logistics to mitigate the adverse impacts on the delivery of fuels to the different regions of Colombia.
