The president of Andesco, Camilo Sánchez, has generated an important alert during the union’s congress about the possible consequences of importing gas from Venezuela for energy rates in Colombia. According to Sánchez, this move could be much more expensive for Colombian users.
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Sánchez emphasized that Colombia must take advantage of its natural resources and avoid depending on expensive imports. “In Colombia we have to take advantage of our comparative advantages. Why don’t we get out the oil and gas we have? “Why are we going to talk about having to bring what is imported from Venezuela, when that is also a myth that cannot be charged,” he stated during his speech.
The union leader highlighted that Venezuela does not have the necessary infrastructure to carry out such importation without incurring prohibitive costs. “Venezuela does not have the gas pipeline, it does not exist, there is no management to be able to do it, it is much more expensive,” said Sánchez.
Furthermore, the president of Andesco pointed out that any government policy aimed at reducing energy rates, particularly in the Colombian Caribbean region, could be compromised by this import. “When we talk about lowering rates, how crazy, because what that imported gas is going to do is cause higher costs for users,” Sánchez added.
Sánchez also proposed that the government assume the cost of imported gas to mitigate inflationary effects and facilitate the energy transition. “Gas is what makes the transition cheap. If we do not make the transition with gas, it will be costly for users,” he argued, adding that, if Ecopetrol needs to import gas, it should be the government that assumes those costs, while national gas should be destined for domestic consumption to maintain the low costs for users.
The leader also referred to possible reductions in energy rates, attributed to the payment of 2.8 billion pesos of the rate option by the State, arguing that the proposal of the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (Creg) to intervene Stock market pricing is not a viable solution.
Finally, Sánchez concluded by emphasizing the importance of using one’s own energy resources and the need for coherent policies that do not economically harm users.
