After a landslide occurred on April 21 in the La Felisa-La Pintada sector, in the Puente Arquía sector (Antioquia) and the Manizales-Medellín highway, which caused damage to an Ecopetrol pipeline through which ACPM is transported, from EPM they warned that there was a fuel spill in the Cauca river that caused a environmental emergency that could affect six municipalities surrounding the Hidroituango hydroelectric project.
The Caracol Radio station reported that through a statement the Antioquia service company announced the hydrocarbon stain was spotted from the infrastructure with which it seeks to produce electricity in that area of western Colombia.
They reported on the radio that EPM urged the Municipal Councils for Disaster Risk Management and emergency agencies to warn the population and not carry out activities in the body of water in the face of the fuel accident.
“Remain retired and refrain from activities, including fishing, because of the pollution that this fuel may be causing in this ecosystem,” they quoted in the company's letter.
At the station, they indicated that the municipalities of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Buriticá, Liborina, Sabanalarga, Peque and Olaya would be the most affected by the ACPM spill.
EPM also clarified that it was a situation that, although it affected them, was alien to them, since the pipeline is the responsibility of Ecopetrol and its subsidiary company Cenit, which they added is working to mitigate the situation.
Debate postponed in the Medellín Council on sale of UNE
Councilman Simon Pérez Londoño revealed that Millicom, a Luxembourg company that is in the process of buying UNE, sent an email requesting that the deadline for answering questions about the acquisition of the telecommunications firm be postponed until next week.
In itself, the debate has been very long since the Council of Medellín, which is why the mayor of the capital of Antioquia, Daniel Quintero, asked that this TIGO - UNE procedure be expedited:
“Council of Medellín must not approve sale of part of UNE until Millicom, a private company that has control, responds to the request of the Council asking to extend the Protection of Public Assets Clause so that money is not lost and the decision goes to the next government,” the official adds that the city can lose a lot of money, if not does the process properly.
According to the Public Companies of Medellín, EPM, on Thursday, April 21, presented to the Council the valuation of its shareholding in Intervelco and UNE. The figures presented in conjunction with BTG Pactual, investment banking, estimate that they are worth between 2.3 billion and 2.8 trillion pesos.
Both the EPM board of directors and Mayor Quintero assured that the money raised in this operation will help finance the works of the 'Hidroituango' megaproject: “The resources from the disposals, expected to be received between 2023 and 2024, will enter the EPM budget and would be an important source of resources for the implementation of its investment plan for the coming years”.
In fact, the Council of Medellin itself issued a statement, after the confirmation of the postponement. They explain that since April 5, a letter signed by the 19 city councillors was sent to Millicom. This contains a request on the extension of the deadline for EPM to exercise its right to leave the company UNE.
“In response to this request, an email was received today, April 22, from Esteban Iriarte, CEO of Milicom, requesting a deadline “for the first days of next week”, the Council considered it appropriate to postpone the first debate on Draft Agreement 065 of 2021, which authorizes the alienation of shareholdings””, it reads.
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