Ecopetrol and Invercolsa, a subsidiary of the Group, They sealed a strategic alliance whose main objective is to connect 13,547 families from strata 1 and 2 to the public natural gas service through home networks in Colombia.
The alliance, which will last up to two years, will benefit 6,302 families in the municipality of Pasto, Nariño; 6,037 homes from Cúcuta and its metropolitan area, in Norte de Santander; and to 1,208 users of Floridablanca and Piedecuesta, in Santander.
Invercolsa is linked through the distribution companies Gases del Oriente, Alcanos and Metrogas, with a grace period of three months on the payment they must make on the internal installation and a reduction in the financing rate.
And Ecopetrol contributes resources for co-financing the value of the connection right.
“Social gas contributes to reducing the number of families that still cook with firewood, which is 1.6 million. Ecopetrol, thanks to flagship initiatives like this, is consolidating itself as a leader in the fair, clean and responsible energy transition in America,” said David Riaño, vice president of Low Emissions Solutions at Ecopetrol.
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One of the priorities of the Ecopetrol Group’s Social Gas program is to reduce poverty, improve the quality of life of the communities, reduce the health risks of people who use firewood, charcoal and other elements for cooking and improve their socioeconomic conditions.
“The social gas initiative will improve the quality of life of Colombian families, providing a clean, safe and accessible source of energy such as natural gas. This project supported by Invercolsa and its subsidiaries will significantly impact thousands of families that currently have not been able to access this essential resource, reducing health and environmental problems associated with the use of firewood for cooking,” said Edward Gironza, president of Invercolsa.
With different strategic allies, from 2019 to date, the Ecopetrol Group has managed to connect more than 44,000 families to the natural gas network in 12 departments of Colombia. The goal by 2040 is to connect 300,000 new families.
