Colombian Oil & Gas Congress To Be Held August 26-28 In Corferias, Bogotá
The Colombian Oil & Gas Congress, organized annually by ACIPET (Acronym in Spanish for the Colombian Association of Petroleum Engineers) and Corferias, is the principal petroleum industry event held in Colombia, and billed by its organizers as the fourth most important in Latin America. This year, the event will feature over 80 presentations by industry experts and government authorities on topics such as exploration, nonconventional methods, heavy crude, social and environmental aspects, production and refining.
“These topics will be covered by people from academics backgrounds, government, industry and gremios (industry associations), where we will have the opportunity in an open space to discuss the ideas, needs, and lessons learned, that can be applied to our current situation,” said Carlos Alberto Leal, the executive director of ACIPET. In a written statement, Leal went on to name the successes that have come out of previous annual congresses, such as the ICP (Colombian Petroleum Institute) “That was borne out of a previous Oil & Gas Congress; the creation of Campetrol, the Colombian Chamber of Petroleum Goods and Services, also a product of these events. For that reason, the congress is an opportunity to share opinions and ideas that in the end can materialize as new alternatives for development in this sector.”
The drop in petroleum prices has shaken the industry in Colombia, with the sector making up roughly half of the country’s exports. Still, petroleum exploration continues, with technology, efficiency and innovation seen as keys to economically process and market Colombia’s relatively heavy crude, and capture the country’s coal and natural gas assets. These conditions make this year’s event, taking place from August 26 to 28 in Bogotás’s Corferias convention center, ever more pivotal.