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The Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (Creg) announced on April 30 the early termination of the efficient energy use program by users, after the gradual increase in the level of the reservoirs and the request of users of the Caribbean Coast.
This program was launched in response to significant concerns about the level of the country’s reservoirs, which in April had remained below their historic lows..
Furthermore, data from March 2024 indicated that the demand for electrical energy had grown by 8.31% compared to last year.
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However, experts consulted by EL COLOMBIANO agreed that This early completion was rushed by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
“In my opinion, the Creg’s decision to annul its Resolution, issued just 16 days ago, encouraging savings in energy consumption, while resuming the sale of energy to Ecuador, is hasty. This is premature, since the electricity sector has not yet returned to normal, we went from the red alert to the orange alert of the risk of eventual energy rationing,” warned Amylkar Acosta, former Minister of Mines and Energy.
Julio César Vera, president of the Xua Energy foundation, described it along these same lines, despite the fact that The termination was to alleviate energy tariff adjustments for Colombians.
“In this case it would have been desirable at least have this measure with its own adjustments for certain regions, especially the Caribbean Coast, for a period of one month and promote not only savings policies and efficient use of energy in the country’s users,” said the analyst.
He stated this because Colombia still needs help to further increase the level of reservoirsespecially at times when in the last two weeks, although there has been rain and the level of the reservoirs has risen, so much so that today it is at 34.42%, “we have also had three days in which we have had discharge ”.
This is how, despite the heavy rains, The useful level of the country’s reservoirs is barely halfway to the goal established between 60% and 80%.
It must be remembered that, at the time, in mid-April, the Creg published said resolution with a temporary program of incentives for the efficient use of electrical energy. This program sought to establish a savings goal for each user, and based on this goal, an economic incentive would be granted. If more energy is consumed, users would have to pay more.
Gradual rise of reservoirs
In the midst of this debate, Colombia is making progress in raising the levels of its reservoirs at a slow pace. Between April 19, when the rise in reservoir levels began, and last May 5, Colombia has experienced an increase of 5.86 percentage points in impounded water for the generation of electrical energy.
Therefore, the country went from 28.56% to 34.42% in 17 dayswhen the rains have increased and removed the specter of rationing that intensified between March and April due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon.
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According to the XM report, as of May 5, the useful level of the reservoirs was 34.42%, a slight increase compared to the 33% registered on Thursday of last week. However, this growth represents a significant slowdown, since in the previous weeks the level had been rising at a rate of 0.6 percentage points.
Given these data, Vera insisted that More promotion of energy savings is needed, even at small levelstaking into account that maintenance of the country’s thermal plants begins this month, so they would not be available in the event of any situation that may arise.
This was confirmed by the executive president of Andeg, Alejandro Castañeda, who said that The thermal plants enter scheduled maintenance, which are obliged to stop and be declared unavailable. For example, a week ago Termotasajero began maintenance with its three units of 150 megawatts each.
“In colombia permanent measures of efficiency and savings in energy use should be promoted at all levelsa fundamental measure within the energy transition process that the country is advancing,” he recommended.
In turn, former Minister Acosta insisted that The incentive to save, as well as the rational and efficient use of energy, should be the constant in Colombia.
Government improvisation?
“Although the reservoirs have been recovering, they have been doing so very slowly, when the downward trend began to reverse when it went from 28.56% on April 18 to 28.65% on the 19th of the same month. I stick with President Petro’s phrase, when he said that we still cannot claim victory. The risk of rationing is still latent, we have gone from the red alert to the orange alert. That is why this determination seems hasty to me.“Acosta clarified.
Both Vera and Acosta emphasized that, Instead of ending the measure early, the Petro Government had to adjust and correct itthus addressing the complaint of users on the Caribbean Coast who felt affected by its application, since in this area of Colombia the payment of the electricity bill is high compared to other regions.
“The operation of the system works like a current account, in which it is deposited and drawn. So, reason enough to worry with This measure denotes unpredictability and improvisation, because how can we explain this reversal, leaving without effect the much questioned Resolution 101 042, just 16 days after its issuance by the Creg?”, questioned the former minister.
Vera concluded that The elimination of the savings measure announced by the Ministry of Mines and Energy last week is prematuresince the supply goal is still far from being achieved and energy demand continues to increase.
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New measures
This debate occurs amid new announcements from the Creg, which has established a transitional program through Resolution No. 101 043 of 2024. This program, known as the RD Mechanism (Demand Response), seeks the participation of users of the public home electric energy service in the management of the energy market.
The RD Mechanism invites large users, or groups of users, to voluntarily reduce their energy consumption during certain hours of the day in exchange for financial compensation. This initiative’s main objective is to encourage the efficient and stable use of electrical energy, allowing users to actively participate in the management of their consumption and obtain economic benefits for it.
The program is developed in two stages: First stage, don May 8 to June 30, 2024. At this stage, large users will be able to submit offers on the amount of energy they expect to reduce each day of a week, as well as the economic incentive they expect to receive in return.
Second stage: From June 30 to October 31, 2024. In this phase, offers to reduce energy consumption can be made every day for each hour of the next day. This will allow users to better adjust the amount of energy used according to their needs and receive financial compensation in the energy market.
