Ecopetrol renames offshore gas assets after court ruling

Colombia's Ecopetrol has changed the names of two offshore areas following a legal challenge from a local indigenous group, the state-run oil company said on Tuesday. 

In a filing with the Colombian securities regulator, Ecopetrol said the names Uchuva and Tayrona would now be known as Sirius and Gua-Off-0.

"From now on, the names ‘Uchuva’ and ‘Tayrona’ will not be used to refer to the exploratory projects in the Colombian Caribbean [sea], or to any in which the company is a party," the filing read. 

The announcement came less than two weeks after judge Carlos Villalva of the Santa Marta district court ordered Ecopetrol and Brazilian joint venture partner Petrobras to halt drilling at the Uchuva 2 well, pending the completion of a prior consultation process with local communities. 

Villalva gave Ecopetrol and Petrobras a 48-hour deadline to "cease using cultural symbols or names" of indigenous communities without their consent.

He recommended the creation of a supervisory committee – comprising indigenous representatives, public prosecutors and the ombudsman's office – to ensure compliance with the order.

The ruling followed the filing of a legal claim for the protection of constitutional rights by an indigenous group in the village of Taganga.

Ecopetrol, the interior ministry and the mines and energy ministry have each said they will appeal the decision. 

Sirius 2 (formerly Uchuva 2) forms part of the Gua-Off-0 block (ex-Tayrona) and is located 31km off Colombia's Atlantic coast. Brazil’s national oil company has a 44.4% stake in the asset and Ecopetrol holds the balance. 

In August, the JV announced a major natural gas discovery during the fourth drilling phase of the Uchuva 2 project. A large gas find was also made at the nearby Uchuva 1 well in 2022. 

Industry groups Naturgas and ACP have warned that the court ruling will accelerate a looming natural gas deficit, threatening Colombia's near-term energy security. 

Naturgas president Luz Stella Murgas said the Tayrona block has the potential to produce up to 400Mf3/d (million cubic feet a day).