Ecopetrol announces oil discovery at Santander

BOGOTA, Colombia, March 30, 2017 Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) ("Ecopetrol" or the "Company") reports that the Boranda-1 well discovered the presence of crude in the Magdalena Middle Valley, municipality of Rionegro, department of Santander.

The Boranda-1 well was at a depth of 3,657 meters, where the discovery of medium crude (20º API) was confirmed in the Esmeraldas formation, in four intervals of oil sands with a total thickness of 40 meters.

Boranda-1 is operated by Parex, with an interest of 50%, while Ecopetrol holds the other 50%.

The nearby crude receiving stations (Payoa at 30 km; Provincia at 40 km) and the Barrancabermeja refinery (90 km) afford it a competitive and operational advantage.

This new discovery forms part of Ecopetrol's strategy. One of its focuses is on exploration in regions near production fields. Boranda is in the production range of the Aullador and Cristalina fields to the southwest, and Pavas-Cachira to the northeast.

Over the past four months the country's leading company has participated in deep-water discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico, the United States (Warrior) and the Colombian Caribbean (Purple Angel). In addition, its Hocol subsidiary announced the finding of Bullerengue Sur-1.

For 2017, Ecopetrol has an exploration budget of US$652 million, with which it will drill 17 wells directly and with partners; six will be drilled offshore, one in the Gulf of Mexico (United States) and the other five in Colombia; the remaining 11 will be in various regions of the country.

This release contains statements that may be considered forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For further information, please contact:                 

Head of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations
María Catalina Escobar
Phone: (+571) 234 5190
E-mail: [email protected]

Media Relations (Colombia)
Jorge Mauricio Tellez
Phone: + 571-234-4329
e-mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.