BP in Colombia
Wells that are 15,000 feet deep. Pipelines that stretch for 800 kilometres. Fields that produce 177,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. In Colombia, we operate on a large scale
What we do
With an estimated population of 45 million and an area that covers twice the size of France, Colombia is a country of booming cities like Bogotá, Cali, Medellín and Barranquilla. BP Colombia’s main activity is at Cusiana and Cupiagua, a few hundred kilometres outside the capital city of Bogotá.Together, Cusiana and Cupiagua make up Colombia’s major oil find to date. BP discovered them in the early 1990s, just a few years after we first arrived.
To enable us to develop the sites, we drilled over 125 wells in rugged terrain and complex geology to depths of over 15,000 feet.
Two major processing installations were also built on these sites and a network of flow lines was put in place to connect the wells to our facilities. The crude oil itself is exported via an 800km pipeline that stretches out from Casanare to the Caribbean port of Coveñas.
Production from these fields peaked during 1999, achieving an average rate of 434,000 barrels a day.
We are also focusing on the significant gas reserves contained in the Casanare fields. Our gas treatment facilities are now supplying around 170 million cubic feet per day to the Colombian market, which represents roughly a quarter of the national gas demand.
Our people and partners
Our operations are based in the province of Casanare, eastern Colombia, while our headquarters are located in Bogotá. We employ 480 people and 98.5% of them are native Colombians.Our partners include Ecopetrol, Colombia's state oil firm. Ecopetrol holds 50% equity in Association Contracts (private partner equity may vary). In the case of Cusiana and Cupiagua, BP also is partnered by TEPMA, an affiliate of TOTAL.
Community investment
Our initiatives focus on the communities around us, particularly in the Casanare province. The income that our work has generated has helped to improve the living standards of the general population and the infrastructure of the communities. Better education and health care facilities have been put in place and programmes aimed at promoting economic development have been established.Our social investment programme also promotes regional development, economic growth, and human development.
BP is considered part of the local community and as such we share common goals and concerns. We attend face-to-face meetings on a daily basis, and we’re putting in place all sorts of social programmes and initiatives.
