Ecopetrol, Colombia’s state-owned oil company, continues to deal with the effects of the rainy season, as landslides and floods from frequent rains caused ruptures in a major gas line, newspaper El Espectador reported Monday.
The Galan-Salzar pipeline, which transports propane gas from the Bucamaranga refinery to the interior of the country, broke after a tree fell on it.
This is the second time within a month that the Galan-Salzar pipeline has been broken as a result of the rainy season. In late May, the flooding of the Carare river caused the first rupture.
Ecopetrol has responded to the situation by rebuilding 356 meters of pipeline.
According to the company’s contingency plan, Ecopetrol sent 50,000 barrels of propane gas via a 10-inch wide gasline, from which wholesalers and retailers can distribute the gas internally or export to foreign consumers. Another 22,000 barrels of propane gas have been moved to the central and southwestern parts of Colombia, but these parts of the country are likely to suffer supply constraints.
