Historia del francking en Colombia
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Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a controversial and contentious issue both nationally and internationally. Fracking is an extraction technique that consists of fracturing rocks that have oil and gas trapped inside.
While hydrocarbons from conventional reservoirs flow to the surface, hydrocarbons contained in non-conventional reservoirs require high-pressure injection of fracking fluid in order to fracture the rock to allow the hydrocarbons trapped inside to flow.
It is common to think that fracking - which has recently revolutionized the hydrocarbon industry - is a new technique. But in truth, fracking is the combination of two techniques, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which have been used since the middle of the last century in Colombia.
What really generated the intensive use of this technique in countries such as the United States was its economic viability with oil prices hovering around US$100 per barrel.
However, there is no denying the recent technical advances in horizontal drilling, completion and hydraulic fracturing, which have reduced the potential risks of fracking and have generated economic efficiencies that have reduced the cost of production to less than US$40 per barrel.
Water Pollution
One of the main concerns of implementing fracking in Colombia is water consumption and contamination. The amount of water required to develop a non-conventional hydrocarbon well by fracking ranges from 2.5 to 7.5 million liters.
In simple terms, it takes approximately the water of half an Olympic size swimming pool to frack a well.
This can be a very sensitive issue in areas where water resources are limited and is the main reason for vetoing this technique in specific areas, despite the fact that approximately 60% of the water used in hydraulic fracturing returns to the surface and can be recycled for use in fracking another well.
On the other hand, the second concern regarding water is contamination from the chemicals used in the fracturing process.
The hydraulic fracturing process requires the fracturing fluid to be 99.5% water and proppant, and 0.5% chemical additives. On the one hand, proppant is basically sand or similar particles that help keep the fracture or fissure in the rock open so that hydrocarbons can continue to flow.On the other hand, the additives are chemicals that generate a high viscosity in the fracturing fluid in order to transport the proppant.
The Potential in the Country
The development of the La Luna formation alone may represent between 100,000 and 350,000 barrels of oil per day (BOED), almost half of Ecopetrol's current production.
In the last 10 years, Ecopetrol has transferred $195 billion to the Nation in royalties, taxes and dividends but its current hydrocarbon reserves are not enough for more than 6 years.
Although the easiest and least risky answer is to say no to fracking in Colombia, the benefits that fracking can bring in terms of employment, development of our regions, increased competitiveness of our country, free education, health plans, and social plans, in addition to energy security, self-sustainability, increased national and domestic investment, among other general benefits that would be given to the populations directly and indirectly located in areas of exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbons, must be considered.
To give just one example, Ecopetrol has estimated that the contributions in taxes, royalties and dividends from these developments could be between 500 and 3,000 million dollars per year for the next 25 years.
We should not be fooled by ill-informed or populist people, the decision of the present and the future of Colombia's mining-energy industry is in our hands.
According to Arthur Little (2017), in Colombia the La Luna geological formation may have a reserve potential of more than 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), corresponding to more than three times the country's current reserves of 1665 million barrels.
In the last 10 years, Ecopetrol has transferred $195 billion to the Nation in royalties, taxes and dividends but its current hydrocarbon reserves are not enough for more than 6 years.
Although the easiest and least risky answer is to say no to fracking in Colombia, the benefits that fracking can bring in terms of employment, development of our regions, increased competitiveness of our country, free education, health plans, and social plans, in addition to energy security, self-sustainability, increased national and domestic investment, among other general benefits that would be given to the populations directly and indirectly located in areas of exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbons, must be considered.
To give just one example, Ecopetrol has estimated that the contributions in taxes, royalties and dividends from these developments could be between 500 and 3,000 million dollars per year for the next 25 years.
We should not be fooled by ill-informed or populist people, the decision of the present and the future of Colombia's mining-energy industry is in our hands.
According to Arthur Little (2017), in Colombia the La Luna geological formation may have a reserve potential of more than 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), corresponding to more than three times the country's current reserves of 1665 million barrels.
Fuente:
★═Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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