Earthquake Kills More Than 100 in Colombia; Key Refineries, Pipelines Operational

Written by Amir Richani for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit Colombia on Monday, leaving more than 100 dead, hundreds injured, and damaging thousands of buildings, with dozens collapsing. Industrial Info Resources has confirmed that the Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries continued operations following the earthquake, while the Coveñas municipality said that operations for the CENIT and ODC pipelines were not affected.

Cali, Quibdo and Pereira Most Affected

The cities of Cali, Quibdo and Pereira, as well as nearby towns and areas, were the most affected by the earthquake.

Colombia deployed police and military personnel to support rescue missions and maintain order. Colombia's new president, Abelardo de La Espriella, who was sworn in August 7, said that he would travel to Pereira to coordinate the emergency response from the ground.

The earthquake also disrupted electricity supplies. XM, the national operator of the national interconnected system (SIN), said that 18% of the national demand was initially affected following the earthquake.

By about 7:30 pm (Colombia time) on Monday, XM reported that the share of electricity demand still affected had fallen from 70% to 27% in Valle del Cauca; from 82% to 30% in Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda; and from 44% to 5% in Cauca and Nariño. In Choco, electricity demand was initially almost entirely affected, although the share still affected had fallen to about 60%.

Industrial Info Resources confirmed that Ecopetrol's 250,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Barrancabermeja refinery and 245,000-bpd Cartagena refinery continued to operate following the earthquake. The Industrial Info Resources Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Petroleum Refinery Plant Database offers detailed reports on the Barrancabermeja and Cartagena facilities.

The Colombian energy company has not issued any statement on its social media on the status of its upstream operations following the earthquake.

The municipality of Coveñas reported that the 483-kilometer (300 miles) Oleoducto de Colombia (ODC) pipeline, which goes from Vasconia to Covenas, and the 770-kilometer (478 miles) Caño Limon-Coveñas pipeline experienced no disruptions.

Key Takeaways

• The earthquake left over 100 dead, hundreds injured, and thousands missing.
• Industrial Info Resources confirmed that Ecopetrol's Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries remained operational.
• The Coveñas municipality reported that the ODC and CENIT pipelines continued operations.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).