general news 186
Medellin-based EPM – Colombia’s biggest power producer – on June 25 announced that it has now restored 100% of output at its 560-megawatt (MW) “Guatape” hydroelectric plant in Antioquia following a February 15 fire that had destroyed power cables.
The latest Manpower survey of employers in Colombia shows that Medellin companies plan to boost hiring by 14% during third quarter (3Q) 2016, second only to Bucaramanga (up 24%) for all of Colombia.
Cormagdalena – the Colombian government agency overseeing a proposed dredging project for the Magdalena River that would dramatically boost freight movements – announced June 12 that project developer Navelena SAS failed to meet a June 11 deadline to obtain financial close on the COP$2.5 trillion (US$877 million) project.
The June 2016 edition of Bitacora Economica (Economic Analysis) from Colombia’s national retail trade association (Fenalco) shows that Antioquia (Medellin’s department) has the best “corruption index” of all Colombia’s departments (states).
The Corficolombiana-Iridium “Covipacifico” consortium announced June 9 that they’ve reached financial close on the crucial “Pacifico 1” divided-highway project linking Medellin’s southern suburbs (Ancon Sur) to the Cauca River at Bolombolo – and connecting to new “fourth generation” (4G) highways all the way to the Pacific port of Buenaventura.
Antioquia Governor Luis Perez announced June 15 that legal issues have now been resolved with the COP$1.8 trillion (US$603 million), 9.8-kilometers-long “Toyo Tunnel” project that will link Medellin to new freight ports in Uraba (Caribbean coast).
Medellin-based public utility EPM announced April 23 that it partially restored output from its 560-megawatt (MW) “Guatape” hydroelectric plant in Antioquia – more than a week earlier than planned.
Colombia’s national statistical agency (DANE) announced April 14 that industrial production jumped 8.2% year-on-year (y-o-y) in February 2016 -- the latest month for which statistics are available -- versus a 1% y-o-y net decline in industrial output in February 2015.
Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (ANI) announced April 14 that just-completed upgrades to Medellin’s downtown Olaya Herrera airport enable the start-up of international executive-jet flights in May 2016 -- just before the World Economic Forum (WEF) conference.
