General News

EPM Shuts Last Water Tunnel to Hidroituango Hydroelectric Dam

Medellin Herald February 5, 2019

Medellin-based multinational electric power giant EPM announced Tuesday, February 5, that it successfully shut the last water-intake tunnel at its giant Hidroituango hydroelectric dam, hence accelerating the planned diversion of the Cauca River over the dam’s engineered spillway by several

General News

Medellin Wins Global Competition to Launch ‘4th Industrial Revolution’ Research Center

Medellin Herald January 22, 2019

Colombia President Ivan Duque announced January 22 at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, that Medellin just won a world-wide competition to launch the first “Fourth Industrial Revolution” research center in all of Latin America. Over the next 18 months, the initial research projects at the center will involve artificial intelligence (AI); the […]

General News

BYD Wins Contract for 64 Electric Transit Buses in Medellin

Medellin Herald December 29, 2018

The Medellin Mayor’s Office announced December 28 that China-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD won a contract bid to provide 64 pure electric buses for the “Metroplus” bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Medellin. The resulting zero-emissions bus fleet “will be one of the largest in Latin America” and the contract calls for delivery during […]

General News

Foreign Direct Investment in Medellin Tops US$253 Million in 2018

Medellin Herald December 21, 2018

Medellin’s investment promotion agency ACI — Agencia de Cooperacion e Inversion de Medellin y el Area Metropolitana — reported December 21 that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Medellin so far this year has topped US$253 million, or US$11 million over ACI’s initial forecast target. “These investment projects came mostly from Mexico, El Salvador, Italy,

General News

Medellin’s Plaza Mayor Convention Center: Big Growth Continues

Medellin Herald December 19, 2018

The Plaza Mayor convention center — owned by the city of Medellin — reported this month that total events rose to 734 in 2018, up from 539 in 2017 and 480 in 2016. Of that total, 38 events were international (up from 29 in 2017), 68 were national and 628 local, according to conventional center […]

General News

Medellin City Council OKs COP$5.3 Trillion 2019 Budget; Electric-Bus Fleet to Expand

Medellin Herald November 27, 2018

The Medellin City Council on November 26 voted 19-2 to approve a COP$5.3 trillion (US$1.6 billion) 2019 budget mainly favoring the city’s most vulnerable citizens. More than 78% of the budget goes to public education, health, infrastructure and “social inclusion,” according to the city’s Treasury Secretary Orlando Uribe Villa. The budget includes a COP$77 billion […]

General News

Antioquia Will Continue to Dominate Gold Mining in Colombia: CGS Highlights

Medellin Herald November 23, 2018

Antioquia Mining Secretary Dora Elena Balvin revealed at the 2018 edition of the annual Colombia Gold Symposium (CGS) here that Antioquia continues to dominate national gold production – and is likely to expand output dramatically in coming years. One reason for optimism is the well-underway development of Continental Gold’s massive mining project at Buritica, Antioquia,

General News

Medellin Retains ‘AAA’ Debt Rating Despite EPM’s Hidroituango Problems

Medellin Herald November 17, 2018

Wall Street bond rater Fitch announced November 16 that it has affirmed Medellin’s favorable “AAA(col)” long-term debt rating despite the financial challenges facing city-owned electric utility EPM because of problems with the giant “Hidroituango” hydroelectric power project. According to Fitch, Medellin also enjoys a “stable” debt oulook and a favorable “F1+(col)”

General News

Big Step Forward for Medellin, EPM: Hidroituango Spillway-Startup Marks Recovery

Medellin Herald November 5, 2018

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM on November 4 heralded the start-up of the engineered spillway over the giant “Hidroituango” hydroelectric project in Antioquia (see photo, above). That start-up soon will allow EPM to close a makeshift diversion tunnel through the dam, ensure steady, safe, adequate water-flow of the Cauca River downstream of the dam, and […]

General News

Crucial ‘Pacifico 1’ Highway Construction Ramps-Up Following Long Delays

Medellin Herald October 3, 2018

The “Corvipacifico” construction consortium announced in late September that it is cranking-up construction works on the long-delayed “Pacifico 1” highway between Medellin and Bolombolo. That highway will connect (via a new bridge across the Cauca River) with the under-construction “Pacifico 2” highway linking Bolombolo to La Pintada  — both straddling the Cauca