This Friday, the Deputy Minister of Energy, Belizza Ruiz, made an announcement that caused considerable concern in the hydrocarbons sector. The senior official pointed out that in the government of President Gustavo Petro there will be no new hydrocarbon exploitation and exploration contracts in the country, a decision that continues to cause controversy.
“In the country there are not going to be any new contracts for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons. All the contracts that were already signed and working previously, exploiting and exploring in the subsoil, will continue,” said Ruiz.
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When this decision, which Petro had been talking about since the campaign, was confirmed, the criticism was immediate. One of the first to do so, and quite vehemently, was the former presidential candidate, Federico Gutiérrez, who described the decision as “nonsense.”
“This has no other name, it is a BURRADA that destroys Colombia,” Fico wrote, citing the deputy minister’s statements.
Tranquil part of MinMinas
The deputy minister assured that the decision does not mean that Colombia will depend on importing hydrocarbons only.
“This does not mean that we are going to depend on other countries because exploration and exploration is already taking place here and there are levels of gas right now. In fact, what this sign tells him is that he tells companies that are already in these processes is that they make a greater effort to extract all the gas that the wells havethere is already an activity that continues, many think that since there are no new contracts, the gas is over, “he added.
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Ruiz said that gas is currently being extracted and the existing contracts will continue. He stated that the matter involves imports or regasification plants, which means that we want to give the system reliability. “Very surely during these next four years gas will continue to be extracted from the Colombian subsoil “said.
