Colombian court reverses order to suspend gas well off Caribbean coast

On Wednesday, a Colombian court overturned a previous court order that was issued last month, which had suspended operations at Sirius-2 (formerly known as Uchuva-2), a major offshore gas well.

The ruling was issued on October 29, following a complaint from Indigenous communities that their way of living would be negatively affected by the development of the well.

Industry groups warned that the suspension of the well would threaten Colombia's energy independence and erode the prospects for the nation's diminishing gas reserves.

The project is owned jointly by Colombian state oil company Ecopetrol, and Brazil's Petrobras.

The court ordered the Colombian interior ministry to "issue a administrative act that studies a concept of prior consultation" within a month. This process allows communities to have a say on the development of large oil, mining, and infrastructure projects.

A court order issued after the initial ruling on Sept. 11, 2001, softened the original measures and said that the stoppage should be gradual.

The ruling on Wednesday added that names Uchuva, and Tayrona, could not be prohibited under intellectual property laws, as they had become popular despite their Indigenous origin. This was after the communities complained the names shouldn't be used without consent. Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin; Writing and Editing by Alistair Bell

(source: Reuters)