Artificial Intelligence

Ecopetrol announces greater levels of investment for 2020: US$4.5 to US$5.5 billion

Published

4 years ago

November 25, 2019

The investment plan is oriented towards maintaining the profitable and sustainable growth path initiated in recent years, while also promoting energy transition, with specific goals of carbon reduction, innovation, technology and digital transformation. The investment plan also aims to strengthen positive social and environmental impact for the regions in which the Company operates.
The solid financial results obtained during the 2019-2021 Business Plan have demonstrated the Ecopetrol Group’s resilience to price volatility and are expected to allow for increased investment in 2020 in a range of 25% to 53%, based on estimated figures for the year ended December 31, 2019.
This increased investment retains the principals of strict capital discipline and a focus on efficiencies to reduce the break-even price of projects and protect cash position. It is expected that the Ecopetrol Group would generate net positive earnings at approximately US$30 per barrel.
Eighty percent of investments are expected to be concentrated on upstream activities. The Ecopetrol Group is expected to organically produce 750,000 to 760,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day in 2020.
The Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries are expected to collectively process an average throughput of 380,000 barrels per day. Investments in the Downstream segment are expected to be oriented toward optimization of maintenance costs, extending the use life of assets and continuing to improve diesel and gasoline quality, with expected sulfur levels of 10-15 ppm and 50 ppm, respectively.
US$85 million is expected to be invested in the Cartagena refinery on the project to connect the original crude unit, boosting its capacity to over 200,000 barrels per day in 2021, increasing the production of clean fuels and positioning the Ecopetrol Group to take advantage of commercial opportunities associated with the global reduction in maximum sulfur content for maritime fuels (Marpol International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships).
Ecopetrol is expected to invest over US$150 million in energy transition, carbon reduction and management of wastewater from operations, with emphasis on three key sustainability elements: energy, emissions and water.
The digital transformation is ongoing, with expected investments of US$126 million for innovation and technology, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence, block chain and bots to improve productivity and efficiency.
The Ecopetrol Group’s solid capacity to generate cash and produce efficiencies are expected to afford it a healthy level of leverage, with an expected gross debt/EBITDA ratio under 1.5x, in line with the 2019-2021 Business Plan.

Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) reports that in 2020 the Ecopetrol Group (GE) plans to invest an expected US$4.5 to US$5.5 billion, 25% to 53% higher than the estimated 2019 figure for organic investment.

The plan approved by the Board of Directors, which prioritizes opportunities under strict capital discipline, is aimed at maintaining the Ecopetrol Group’s growth and consolidation momentum, producing efficiencies that ensure profitability with a focus on energy and environmental and social sustainability.

The plan was developed under the assumption of a projected Brent price of USD 50 to 60 per barrel. Within this range, the plan’s goal is to ensure a return on average capital employed (ROACE) of over 12%, which is expected to position Ecopetrol as one of the best value-generators among its peers, with projected efficiencies of COP 1.6 trillion, to be added to the over COP 11 trillion achieved in the past five years.

The plan assumes an equilibrium price of some US$30 per barrel at which positive net earnings would be generated in 2020, thus demonstrating the Ecopetrol Group’s resilience to fluctuating oil prices.

In line with the strategic priorities of the GEE, the plan focuses on disciplined growth in the upstream sector, to which 80% of total expected investments are projected to be allocated, thus affording organic production of 750 to 760 thousand barrels of oil-equivalent per day (oil and gas), and the incorporation of new proven reserves equivalent to at least 100% of annual production.

Seventy-eight percent of these investments are expected to be allocated to projects in Colombia, with the remainder to be invested in positioning and developing the Ecopetrol Group’s operations in the United States, Mexico and Brazil.

It is anticipated drilling 18 exploratory wells in the basins with the highest potential, particularly in Colombia, which represents a total of 16 of the 18 wells to be drilled.

The Ecopetrol Group also intends to continue its evaluation and development of offshore natural gas discoveries in the Colombian Caribbean, with investments expected to total US$76 million. In terms of non-conventional deposits, we expect to continue with the maturing of initiatives associated with the Comprehensive Non-Conventional Deposits Research Pilot Project (PPII) at Valle Medio del Magdalena and the scaling of development activities in the Permian Basin of Texas, United States.

Investment in the Downstream segment is expected to represent 11%, with the Midstream segment expected to represent 7% of investment allocation under the plan. These investments are expected to be oriented primarily toward ensuring the sustained reliability and profitability of operations at the Barrancabermeja and Cartagena refineries, and of the entire network of oil pipelines and poly-duct lines. The investments are also expected to allow for the optimization of future operating costs, through equipment upgrades and enhanced performance.

We highlight the project to connect the original crude unit of the Cartagena refinery with the new refinery, which is expected to result in increased capacity of over 200,000 barrels per day in 2021. This initiative calls for an expected investment of US$85 million in 2020, which is expected to increase the availability of clean products, promote improvement in the national fuel supply and position the Group to take advantage of commercial opportunities associated with Marpol.

In the Downstream segment, expected throughput for the refineries in 2020 is projected to be some 380 thousand barrels per day. Funds for fuel quality and wastewater management programs are also being considered, to ensure that effluents are increasingly clean.

The Midstream segment is expected to continue strengthening its profitability, supported by greater volumes for both oil pipelines and poly-ducts, better operating results and lower capital employed. Transported volumes are estimated at 1.2 million barrels per day, in line with expectations for the Colombia’s production of crude oil and the higher demand for refined products.

Finally, the plan includes funds for maturing projects in order to incorporate sources of renewable energy, the digital transformation program and the development and implementation of technologies to optimize the Ecopetrol Group’s operations along the entire production chain, as well as a strengthening of socio-environmental investment programs.

US$150 million is expected to be invested in energy transition and carbon reduction in 2020. Further, progress is expected to be made toward the goal of reducing 1.8 million tons of CO2 by 2022, in addition to the 5 million tons already reduced in the past five years.

The plan includes funding for the medium-term socio-environmental investment program, with an expected investment of COP 1.7 trillion for the upcoming three years, with a view to help close socioeconomic gaps and boost community sustainable development and wellbeing. The priority areas for the socio-environmental investment program are public and community infrastructure, public services, education, sports and health, rural development and business entrepreneurship.

To strengthen the digital transformation, US$91 million are expected to be allocated at capturing benefits associated with artificial intelligence, block chain and bot technologies, among others. An additional US$35 million are expected to be invested in leveraging new innovation processes, including creating strategic alliances and innovation ecosystems.

“This plan includes a significant increase in our investment to continue along the path of profitable and sustainable growth. It also blazes the trail for the Ecopetrol Group to make an orderly energy transition, in line with our commitment to contribute to the country’s energy security and to produce more clean energy that contributes to the wellbeing of all Colombians,” said Ecopetrol CEO Felipe Bayón Pardo.

The investment plan is expected to be financed with own resources. The Group’s solid cash position and low level of debt afford financial flexibility to take advantage of inorganic opportunities consistent with the Group’s strategy, while maintaining its capacity to react to potential changes in the macroeconomic environment.

It is also consistent with the best corporate governance practices of the Ecopetrol Group, which priorities continue to be operational excellence, a commitment to industrial safety and care for its workers, protection of the environment, ethics and transparency, and growth in collaboration with the communities.

Related Topics:Board Ecopetrol Ecopetrol Group latest-news

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Wladimir P.

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Artificial Intelligence

MediaGo Honored as Gold Stevie® Award winner in 2024 American Business Awards®

Published

59 mins ago

May 2, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

mediago-honored-as-gold-stevie-award-winner-in-2024-american-business-awards

MediaGo recognized for its deep learning technology and SmartBid product
SAN FRANCISCO, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — MediaGo, a deep learning-based intelligent advertising platform under the umbrella of Baidu Global, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the 22nd Annual American Business Awards® for the second consecutive year – this time in the Marketing/Public Relations Solution category.

Recognized for setting a new standard in the industry for campaign performance and efficiency, MediaGo leverages Baidu’s underlying artificial intelligence (AI) technology and deep learning algorithms to empower businesses of all scales, creating tangible value for companies. With 12 operation centers worldwide, MediaGo has successfully provided localized and comprehensive business growth services to over 10,000 partners.
The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for profit and non-profit, large and small. More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes were submitted this year for consideration.
When assessing MediaGo’s entry, American Business Awards judges noted that MediaGo’s “innovative use of deep learning in advertising optimization represents a significant leap forward, yielding tangible benefits for advertisers, including increased conversion rates and reduced costs per action. The significant enhancements to SmartBid technology, evidenced by substantial increases in campaign performance and efficiency, set a new standard in the industry.”
MediaGo’s SmartBid product is built on a deep neural network of over 1 billion parameters. Leveraging big data analytics and deep learning algorithms, MediaGo’s SmartBid predicts the likelihood of user conversions and adjusts the baseline bid accordingly. Furthermore, SmartBid capabilities automatically self-adjust to improve ad performance based on historical and real-time data, optimizing the advertisers’ return on investment.
“Our SmartBid product has proved itself by continuously providing substantial value to advertisers worldwide,” says Rena Ren, Americas Regional Director of Baidu Global Business Unit. “MediaGo strives to help advertisers reach their goals with easy-to-use, effective technology. Being recognized by a premier organization like the American Business Awards reaffirms our belief. ”
About MediaGo
MediaGo is an intelligent advertising platform under the umbrella of Baidu Global. Leveraging Baidu’s underlying AI technology and based on deep learning algorithms, MediaGo empowers businesses of all scales, creating tangible value for companies. With 12 operational centers worldwide, MediaGo has successfully provided localized and comprehensive business growth services to over 10,000 partners.
Learn more about MediaGo at https://www.mediago.com/.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mediago-honored-as-gold-stevie-award-winner-in-2024-american-business-awards-302131655.html

Artificial Intelligence

Clarivate Enhances Cortellis CMC Intelligence with Post-Approval Module to Accelerate Regulatory Success

Published

59 mins ago

May 2, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

Enhancements enable pharma, biotech and generics companies to streamline regulatory tracking and optimize life cycle management for small molecules and biologics
LONDON, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced the launch of the newly enhanced Cortellis CMC Intelligence™ solution, featuring a new post-approval variations module. The module for post-approval variations covers regulatory changes across multiple countries, offering meticulously curated requirements to streamline tracking. With this update, pharmaceutical, biotech, and generics companies can effortlessly navigate the regulatory process and prioritize essential actions.

CMC activities account for nearly 18% of the entire R&D budget, emphasizing the importance of optimization and validation. Cortellis CMC Intelligence for post-approval variations enables clients to compare requirements across 64 countries, reducing tracking time and increasing submission rates with organized, timely, and accurate information.
Justin Hubbard, Vice President, Product Management, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Clarivate, said: “This enhancement underscores our commitment to simplifying the complexities of CMC regulatory dossier submissions for our clients. By offering transformative insights, Clarivate accelerates their path to markets and patients. With the ability to efficiently compare regulations across countries for small molecules and biologics, as well as automate CMC regulatory monitoring through user-configured alerts, clients can navigate the process with confidence.”
With its new module covering both pre- and post-approval documents, Cortellis CMC Intelligence offers comprehensive lifecycle information for drugs and biologics. Serving as a single-platform solution for CMC requirements, it effectively reduces tracking time and unnecessary costs.
About Cortellis CMC Intelligence
Cortellis CMC Intelligence curates and tracks official CMC regulations and local practices for more than 135+ countries, territories and organizations for small molecules and 64 countries, territories and regions for biologics, with pre-and post-approval module coverage. Robust data is available for 25+ product and regulatory-related filters based on eCTD structure, including 6K+ source documents and over 2K links to Cortellis Regulatory Intelligence, providing access to expanded detail and in-depth summaries from experts in local regulatory practices, paired with reference source documents, to offer a complete picture. The addition of a new post-approval module now makes a comprehensive CMC solution with complete lifecycle information for drugs and biologics to increase submission rates and avoid costly delays. To learn more about Cortellis CMC Intelligence, visit here.
About ClarivateClarivate™ is a leading global provider of transformative intelligence. We offer enriched data, insights & analytics, workflow solutions and expert services in the areas of Academia & Government, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences & Healthcare. For more information, please visit www.clarivate.com
Media Contact:Luna IvkovicExternal Communications, Life Sciences & [email protected]
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/clarivate-enhances-cortellis-cmc-intelligence-with-post-approval-module-to-accelerate-regulatory-success-302133824.html

Artificial Intelligence

Permira to Acquire Majority Position in BioCatch at $1.3bn Valuation

Published

3 hours ago

May 2, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

Permira Growth Opportunities Transaction builds on initial minority investment made in early 2023 to acquire a majority position and support BioCatch’s accelerated growth within online fraud detection and financial crime prevention
NEW YORK and TEL AVIV, Israel, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BioCatch (the “Company”), the global leader in digital fraud detection and financial crime prevention powered by behavioral biometric intelligence, today announced that Permira Growth Opportunities II (the “Fund”), a fund advised by global private equity firm Permira, has agreed to acquire a majority position in the Company. Alongside the Fund’s investment, existing shareholders Sapphire Ventures and Macquarie Capital will also increase their investments in BioCatch. The transaction is expected to accelerate the Company’s global expansion, advance its innovative product roadmap and support its continued overall growth.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Fund will acquire a majority stake in BioCatch, buying out shares primarily from Bain Capital Tech Opportunities and Maverick Ventures, in a secondary transaction valuing the Company at a total enterprise valuation of $1.3bn.
BioCatch was founded in 2011 – at the dawn of a significant consumer shift from branch to online banking – with a mission to fight fraud and keep users safe in online transactions without disrupting user experience. Today, the Company is a leader in behavioral biometric intelligence and advanced fraud detection, leveraging patented artificial intelligence, data science, and machine learning technology to analyze a user’s cognitive intent and deliver highly accurate insights as to the legitimacy of their identity, motivations, and behavior. In 2023, the Company expanded its mission to include a proactive approach to fighting financial crime with the launch of predictive, behavior-based mule account detection.
As fraud attacks have become increasingly scaled, sophisticated and complex, BioCatch has experienced significant and sustained momentum. Permira, via its growth equity strategy, completed an initial minority investment in the Company in early 2023, a year that BioCatch ultimately finished with 49% ARR growth, whilst also surpassing the $100 million ARR milestone and attaining EBITDA profitability. Today, BioCatch counts more than 190 financial institutions as customers globally, including over 30 of the world’s largest 100 global banks, who use its solutions to fight fraud, facilitate financial crime prevention and decision intelligence sharing, accelerate digital transformation, and grow the value of customer relationships.
Permira brings a growth mindset to BioCatch’s next chapter, with the ability and network to help the Company expand across Continental Europe, where Permira was first established nearly four decades ago. In addition, Permira is excited to back the Company’s exceptional management team and innovative product roadmap, and is committed to further strengthening BioCatch’s global leadership position both organically and inorganically.
“Permira has backed the theme of cybersecurity for several years, and within this, online fraud detection, customer identity and access management markets have become a clear focus. We have tracked BioCatch with enthusiasm for many years, and now having been a shareholder since early 2023, our conviction in the business, its growth potential, its technology leadership, and its management team continues to grow. We’re excited to become the company’s majority shareholder and look forward to a continued successful partnership with Gadi and the BioCatch team as we seek to further accelerate growth and expansion in the years to come,” said Stefan Dziarski, Partner and Co-Head of Permira Growth Opportunities.
Gadi Mazor, CEO of BioCatch, added: “After building a strong partnership with Permira over the last year, we are delighted to welcome them as majority shareholders. The firm’s impressive experience within technology and cybersecurity, combined with their scale, global network, and our close working relationship, has been invaluable since their initial investment. We’re excited to take BioCatch to the next level together. I’d also like to thank Matthew Kinsella from Maverick Ventures and Dewey Awad from Bain Capital for their support over the last four years, which has been key in helping us establish our leadership position in the market.”
“We have had the privilege of partnering with BioCatch over the past four years and worked closely with Gadi and the BioCatch team to develop a long-term strategy to realize the business’s growth potential,” said Dewey Awad, a Partner at Bain Capital. “Together, we drove several key initiatives aimed at augmenting BioCatch’s go-to-market strategy, team, and operations, all with the goal of protecting end-users and their most sensitive transactions. We believe the company is well-positioned to continue its growth journey under Gadi’s leadership and with Permira’s support.”
“At Permira, we are looking to back product-led businesses operating in structurally growing end markets and that have management teams with the ambition to scale and grow their business. We found all of that in BioCatch and were grateful to have the opportunity to make an initial investment in 2023. After a successful first year, we are delighted to take a majority stake in the business as it continues to grow at scale. With the full extent of Permira’s resources and experience at its disposal, we’re excited for what’s to come at BioCatch,” commented Ran Maidan, Senior Adviser and Head of Permira in Israel.
About Permira
Permira is a global investment firm that backs successful businesses with growth ambitions. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with total committed capital of approximately €80bn and makes long-term majority and minority investments across two core asset classes, private equity and credit.
The Permira funds have an extensive track record in technology investing, having invested in 50+ companies across SaaS, cybersecurity, digital commerce, fintech and online marketplaces. Permira invested in BioCatch via its Growth Opportunities Fund; its strategy is to back disruptive technology and tech-enabled companies as they scale to the next level. The Permira funds have previously supported and helped scale some of the largest and fastest-growing technology businesses globally, including Genesys, TeamViewer, Zendesk, McAfee, Mimecast, Carta, G2, Sysdig, SonarSource, Mirakl, and others. Permira closed its second Growth Opportunities Fund in December 2021 at $4 billion.
The Permira private equity funds have made approximately 300 private equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare and Services. Permira employs over 500 people in 15 offices across Europe, the United States and Asia. For more information, visit www.permira.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
About BioCatch
BioCatch stands at the forefront of digital fraud detection, pioneering behavioral biometric intelligence grounded in advanced cognitive science and machine learning. BioCatch analyzes thousands of user interactions to support a digital banking environment where identity, trust, and ease coexist. Today, more than 30 of the world’s largest 100 banks and more than 190 total financial institutions rely on BioCatch Connect™ to combat fraud, facilitate digital transformation, and grow customer relationships.
BioCatch’s Client Innovation Board, an industry-led initiative featuring American Express, Barclays, Citi Ventures, HSBC, and National Australia Bank, collaborates to pioneer creative and innovative ways to leverage customer relationships for fraud prevention. With more than a decade of data analysis, 90 registered patents, and unmatched expertise, BioCatch continues to lead innovation to address future challenges. For more information, visit www.biocatch.com.
Media Contacts
For BioCatch
Mac KingSr. Manager, Corporate Communications, [email protected]+1-206-200-8596
For Permira
James [email protected] +44 774 7006407
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