Ecopetrol Will Be the New Operator of OCENSA

BOGOTA, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As of 20 May 2009, Ecopetrol S.A.
will be responsible for the operation and management of Oleoducto Central
S.A. (Ocensa), the main pipeline of Colombia that connects Cusiana and
Cupiagua fields in the Eastern Plains region with the port of Covenas on the
Caribbean Sea, by means of an operating contract entered into between
Ecopetrol and Ocensa, for a 15-year term.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090209/ARM001LOGO )

The above decision follows the agreement announced by ECOPETROL in March 2009
to acquire Enbridge's share in Ocensa, which increased Ecopetrol's holding
from 35.5% to 60%.

Since its start-up in March 1995, Ocensa's operation was managed by Enbridge
Inc., through its subsidiary Cit Colombiana S.A. (Citcol).

In this new stage, Ecopetrol will try to benefit from synergies with other
pipelines, transporting the growing production of heavy crude from the Eastern
Plains region, promoting new business opportunities to increase throughput in
the system and to ensure a reliable, safe service.

Ecopetrol is Colombia's largest integrated oil company and is among the top 40
oil companies in the world and the four largest oil companies in Latin
America. Besides Colombia, where it accounts for 60% of total production, the
Company is involved in exploration and production activities in Brazil, Peru
and the United States (Gulf of Mexico). Ecopetrol has the principal refinery
in Colombia, most of the network of oil and multiple purpose pipelines in the
country, and it is considerably increasing its participation in biofuels.

Website: www.ecopetrol.com.co

SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.

Investor Relations, Alejandro Giraldo, +571-234-5190,
investors@ecopetrol.com.co, or Media Relations (Colombia), Mauricio Tellez,
+571-234-5377, Fax: +571-234-4480, mtellez@ecopetrol.com.co