Ecopetrol Pollution Scandal Unveiled: Leaked Data Exposes Hundreds of Contaminated Sites in Colombia
A BBC World Service investigation has revealed that Colombian energy corporation Ecopetrol has contaminated numerous sites with oil, encompassing water sources and ecologically diverse wetlands.
Data leaked by a former employee indicates over 800 instances of pollution across these sites between 1989 and 2018. The records suggest the company neglected to report approximately one-fifth of these incidents.
Furthermore, figures obtained by the BBC demonstrate that Ecopetrol has experienced hundreds of oil spills in the years since.
In response, Ecopetrol asserts its full adherence to Colombian law and maintains industry-leading sustainability practices.
The company’s primary refinery is situated in Barrancabermeja, approximately 260km (162 miles) north of Bogotá, the Colombian capital.
This vast complex of processing facilities, industrial smokestacks, and storage tanks extends for nearly 2km (1.2 miles) along the banks of the Magdalena River, a critical water source for millions.
Local fishing communities suspect that oil contamination is harming the river’s wildlife.
The broader region serves as a habitat for endangered river turtles, manatees, and spider monkeys. It is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot within one of the world’s most biodiverse nations. Adjacent wetlands provide protected habitat for jaguars.
During a BBC visit last June, families were observed fishing in waterways intersected by oil pipelines.
A resident reported that some captured fish emitted a strong odor of crude oil when cooked.
In certain areas, an iridescent sheen, characteristic of oil contamination, was evident on the water’s surface.
A fisherman submerged himself and retrieved a clump of vegetation coated in dark slime.
Yuly Velásquez, president of Fedepesan, a regional federation of fishing organizations, identified the substance, stating, “This is grease and waste directly from the Ecopetrol refinery.”
Ecopetrol, majority-owned by the Colombian state (88%) and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, refutes the fishermen’s allegations of water pollution.
In its response to the BBC’s inquiries, Ecopetrol claims to operate effective wastewater treatment systems and maintain robust contingency plans for oil spills.
Whistleblower Exposes Concealed Pollution Data
Andrés Olarte, the whistleblower who disclosed the company’s data, asserts that the firm’s pollution issues are long-standing.
Joining Ecopetrol in 2017 as an advisor to the CEO, Mr. Olarte stated he quickly “realized something was amiss.”
Mr. Olarte alleges that when he questioned managers about what he described as “appalling” pollution data, his concerns were dismissed with responses such as, “Why are you asking these questions? You’re misunderstanding your role.”
After leaving the company in 2019, he shared extensive company data with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a US-based NGO, and subsequently with the BBC. The BBC has independently verified the data’s origin from Ecopetrol servers.
One database shared by Mr. Olarte, dated January 2019, lists 839 “unresolved environmental impacts” across Colombia.
Ecopetrol uses this term to designate areas where oil contamination in soil and water remains inadequately remediated. The data indicates that some sites had remained polluted for over a decade by 2019.
Mr. Olarte contends that the company attempted to conceal some of these sites from Colombian authorities, pointing to approximately one-fifth of records marked “only known to Ecopetrol.”
“The Excel file clearly categorized incidents as either hidden from authorities or not, revealing a deliberate effort to conceal information from the government,” Mr. Olarte explained.
The BBC filmed at a site marked “only known to Ecopetrol” in the database, dated 2017. Seven years later, a thick, black, oily substance surrounded by plastic containment barriers was observed along a section of wetland.
Ecopetrol Denies Withholding Information
Felipe Bayón, Ecopetrol’s CEO from 2017 to 2023, strongly refuted allegations of a policy to withhold pollution information in a statement to the BBC.
“I can confidently state that there is not, nor was there ever, any policy or directive to suppress the sharing of such information,” he asserted.
Mr. Bayón attributed numerous oil spills to sabotage.
While Colombia has a history of armed conflict and oil facilities have been targeted by illegal armed groups, “theft” or “attack” is cited in only 6% of database entries.
He further asserted “significant progress” in resolving issues contributing to oil pollution.
However, separate data indicates ongoing pollution by Ecopetrol.
Figures obtained by the BBC from Colombia’s environmental regulator, Anla, reveal that Ecopetrol has reported hundreds of oil spills annually since 2020.
Regarding the 2019 database, Ecopetrol acknowledges records of 839 environmental incidents but disputes the classification of all as “unresolved.”
The company claims 95% of polluted sites deemed unresolved since 2018 have since been remediated.
Ecopetrol maintains that all pollution incidents are processed and reported to the regulatory body.
Devastating Impact on Wildlife and Communities
Regulator data includes hundreds of spills in the Barrancabermeja area, home to Ms. Velásquez and local fishers.
Ms. Velásquez and her community have monitored biodiversity in the area’s wetlands, which flow into the Magdalena River.
She described a “massacre” of local wildlife. “This year, we found three dead manatees, five dead buffalo, over 10 caimans, turtles, capybaras, birds, and thousands of dead fish,” she recounted last June.
The causes of these deaths remain unclear, though factors may include the El Niño weather pattern and climate change.
A 2022 University of Nottingham study identifies pollution from oil production and other industrial and domestic sources as a contributing factor, alongside climate change, in the degradation of the Magdalena River basin.
Following his departure from Ecopetrol in 2019, Mr. Olarte relocated to his family home near Barrancabermeja. He states that after inquiring about job opportunities with a former contact, he received anonymous death threats by phone.
“I understood from the call that they believed I had filed complaints against Ecopetrol, which was not true,” he stated.
Mr. Olarte reported subsequent threats, including a written note shown to the BBC. The source of the threats remains unknown, and no evidence links them to Ecopetrol.
Ms. Velásquez and seven others also informed the BBC of death threats received after challenging Ecopetrol.
She reported warning shots fired at her residence by an armed group and the word “leave” spray-painted on her wall.
Threats and Security Concerns
Ms. Velásquez now receives government-funded armed bodyguards due to the ongoing threats.
Mr. Bayón described the threats against Mr. Olarte as “absolutely unacceptable.”
“I want to unequivocally state that there was never any order of that nature,” Mr. Bayón said.
Ms. Velásquez and Mr. Olarte are acutely aware of the risks. Global Witness, an NGO, identifies Colombia as the most dangerous nation globally for environmental defenders, with 79 killings recorded in 2023.
Experts attribute these killings to Colombia’s protracted armed conflict, involving government forces and allied paramilitary groups against leftist rebel factions.
Despite government efforts to resolve the conflict, armed groups and drug cartels remain active in parts of the country.
Matthew Smith, an oil analyst and financial journalist based in Colombia, doubts direct Ecopetrol management involvement in threats from armed groups.
However, he notes a significant overlap between former paramilitary groups and the private security sector.
Private security firms frequently employ former paramilitary members, competing for lucrative contracts to protect oil facilities, he explained.
Internal Ecopetrol emails shared by Mr. Olarte reveal that the company paid $65 million to over 2,800 private security companies in 2018.
“The potential for contagion between private security firms, their personnel, and their incentive to maintain contracts is ever-present,” Mr. Smith suggests.
He posits that this could potentially extend to kidnapping or assassinating community leaders or environmental advocates to “ensure the smooth continuation of Ecopetrol’s operations.”
Ecopetrol’s Security Contracts Under Scrutiny
Mr. Bayón asserted he is “convinced that thorough checks and due diligence were conducted” concerning the company’s private security relationships.
Ecopetrol denies any associations with illegal armed groups, stating a robust due diligence process and human rights impact assessments for its operations.
The BBC contacted former Ecopetrol leaders from Mr. Olarte’s employment period, who vehemently deny the report’s allegations.
Mr. Olarte, currently residing in Germany, has filed environmental complaints against Ecopetrol with Colombian authorities and the company itself, thus far without significant outcome.
He is also engaged in ongoing legal proceedings against Ecopetrol and its management related to his employment.
“My actions were in defense of my home, my land, my region, my people,” he stated.
Mr. Bayón emphasized Ecopetrol’s substantial economic and social contribution to Colombia.
“We have 1.5 million families lacking energy access or relying on firewood and coal for cooking,” he stated. “I believe we must continue to depend on clean oil and gas production, and all energy sources, to transition without dismantling an industry critically important for Colombians.”
Ms. Velásquez remains resolute in speaking out despite continuous threats.
“If we cannot fish, we cannot eat,” she explained. “If we speak out and report, we are killed… And if we remain silent, we are killing ourselves, as these severe pollution incidents devastate our environment.”