INGLES

  HISTORY OF FRACKING IN COLOMBIA

It is about hydraulic fracturing, hydraulic fracturing or hydraulic stimulation, commonly known as fracking. This mechanism is a horizontal drilling technique to facilitate the extraction of gas and oil that are trapped in the pores of little permeable rock formations, known as shales, located in the subsoil, in general, at depths of between one thousand and five thousand meters under the surface. In short, this tool allows the extraction of places that could not before.

The extraction technique is based on the drilling of a vertical or horizontal well, cased and cemented, at a depth of more than 2500 meters, with the idea of generating one or more high permeability channels by means of the injection of high pressure water, so that it causes the resistance of the rock and opens a controlled fracture at the bottom of the hole, in the desired section of the formation containing the hydrocarbon. This pressurized water is mixed with some proppant material and chemical products, with the idea of opening the fractures that were already in the rocky area that has the gas or oil.

History

The beginning of hydraulic fracturing in the subsoil to favor oil extraction dates back to 1860, on the east coast of the United States, using nitroglycerin at that time. Later in 1930 acids began to be used instead of explosive materials, but it was only until 1947 when the possibility of using water was studied for the first time, and its use with industrial applications in 1949 

Fluids within the method

In addition to the water, a certain amount of sand is included to prevent the fractures from closing when the pumping stops, and it is also completed around additives, composed of between 3 and 12 chemical additives, although there are also several hundred chemicals, some of them too toxic and carcinogenic whose function is to prevent gas and oil from being polluted and to prevent

Environment

Environmental concern due to hydraulic fracturing techniques, due to the risk of contamination of aquifers, the emission of pollutants that affect air quality, the possible migration to the surface of gases and chemical components used during the process, the risks of spillage due to inadequate waste management, and the effects it may have on the natural environment and people's health

The situation in Colombia

The country's situation is complex, on the one hand, organizations and environmentalists have supported their local colleagues so that the extraction method is prohibited.

The best example is from the Latin American Alliance Against Fracking, an organization that expressed its support for Bill 071 of 2018 that seeks to prohibit the exploration and exploitation of unconventional deposits throughout the Colombian territory.

The explanation of the representatives that in this project, was filed on August 1 by 30 congressmen from various benches and political parties. The initiative is given by more than 100 social organizations that make up the Alianza Colombia Libre de Fracking, and which is in the Fifth Commission of the Senate waiting to begin its legislative process and the necessary debates to become a Law of the Republic.

 

Nowhere in the world is there responsible fracking ”, since“ where fracking experiences have been experienced, problems and impacts have been generated on the water resource, increased seismicity, air pollution, social conflicts and health impacts public, many of them irreparable ”.