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 Historia del Fracking en Colombia 

While hydrocarbons from conventional reservoirs flow to the surface, hydrocarbons contained in unconventional reservoirs require high-pressure injection of fracking fluid to fracture the rock to allow the hydrocarbons trapped in the rock to flow.

It is common to think that fracking - which has recently revolutionized the hydrocarbon industry - is a new technique. But in truth, fracking is the combination of two techniques, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which have been used since the middle of the last century in Colombia.

What really generated the intensive use of this technique in countries such as the United States was its economic viability with oil prices hovering around US$100 per barrel.

However, there is no denying the recent technical advances in horizontal drilling, completion and hydraulic fracturing, which have reduced the potential risks of fracking and have generated economic efficiencies that have reduced the cost of production to less than US$40 per barrel.

One of the main concerns of implementing fracking in Colombia is water consumption and contamination. The amount of water required to develop a non-conventional hydrocarbon well by fracking ranges from 2.5 to 7.5 million liters.

In simple terms, it takes approximately the water of half an Olympic size swimming pool to frack a well.

This can be a very sensitive issue in areas where water resources are limited and is the main reason for vetoing this technique in specific areas, despite the fact that approximately 60% of the water used in hydraulic fracturing returns to the surface and can be recycled for use in fracking another well.

On the other hand, the second concern regarding water is contamination from the chemicals used in the fracturing process.

The hydraulic fracturing process requires the fracturing fluid to be 99.5% water and proppant, and 0.5% chemical additives. On the one hand, proppant is basically sand or similar particles that help keep the fracture or fissure in the rock open so that hydrocarbons can continue to flow.

On the other hand, the additives are chemicals that generate a high viscosity in the fracturing fluid in order to transport the proppant.