Petro announces that Ecopetrol will import gas at a lower cost for Colombians

President Gustavo Petro confirmed this Saturday that Ecopetrol will begin to import natural gas, ensuring that it will be “cheaper than the one that imported before and in competition”in an ad that aims to break private monopolies in the sector.

Through your X account, The president explained that the import of gas is not new in Colombia, But until now there was only a private point of reception controlled by an entrepreneur, owner of a newspaper, which according to Petro has applied prices higher than the international level.

“Private monopolies were prohibited years ago in the Constitution,” he recalled.

Loading …

It may interest you: ANI implements a pilot plan for alternation time in the Bogotá -Villavicencio variant

The president also stressed that The high gas costs have impacting directly on electric power rates, due to the formula established by the CREGwhich described as “looting” and compared with “a feudalism in the market for electricity generation.”

To correct this situation, Petro announced changes in the CREG formula that will reduce electrical rates, although he clarified that The measure will only enter into operation in 2027 if a monopoly in the import of gas is not maintained.

“I have decided that there is no import monopoly, as ordered by the Constitution,” The president concluded.

Read here: They found lifeless, the 7 miners who were caught in a mine in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca

Thus, it should be remembered that gas import is key to Colombia, since domestic demand exceeds national production.

At the moment, Ecopetrol is the state company in charge of much of the production and marketing of hydrocarbons in the country.

According to recent data from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, The price of gas has had a sustained increase in recent years, impacting the cost of electricity generation and, therefore, domestic and industrial rates.