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

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 […]

Congresses & Conferences

Medellin Bird Festival 2018: Balancing Environmental, Economic Imperatives

Medellin Herald October 12, 2018

More than 1,540 in-person attendees this month at the 5th annual Medellin Bird Festival (Festival de las Aves Medellin 2018) October 3-6 got a bird’s-eye view of how companies, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) here are trying to find creative ways to balance environmental and economic conflicts. The growing, annual Medellin Bird Festivals –

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

General News

EPM Slams Antioquia Gov. Luis Perez Over Hidroituango, ‘Blacklisting’ Claims

Medellin Herald October 2, 2018

In an October 2 press conference, EPM general manager Jorge Londoño de la Cuesta contradicted new claims made by Antioquia Governor Luis Perez over supposed contractor errors or negligence surrounding the troubled “Hidroituango” hydroelectric power project in Antioquia. Gov. Perez claims that construction contractor Consorcio TIFS didn’t comply with the original schedule

Congresses & Conferences

Massive Electric-Vehicle Adoption Would Slash Pollution: Medellin EV Conference

Medellin Herald September 27, 2018

More than 500 attendees from 11 nations attending the “Second International Conference on Electric Mobility” in Medellin September 25-26 heard from dozens of international and national experts on the need to speed-up the nascent adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) here. Such an acceleration of EV adoption would slash air pollution, improve public health, reduce

Events

How to Celebrate 5th Annual Medellin Bird Festival October 3-8, 2018

Medellin Herald September 19, 2018

The Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitologia (SAO, the Medellin ornithological society) announced September 19 that the fifth annual “Festival de las Aves de Medellin” will take flight October 3 to October 8. All local Festival programs — including lectures by national and international experts, special learning workshops and guided, local bird walks — are