Days of considerable tension are being experienced within the Ministry of Mines and Energy. A government source guarantees EL TIEMPO that Minister Irene Vélez requested the resignation of the Vice Minister of Energy, Belizza Ruizafter differences between the officials who had transcended in the sector.
For its part, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, consulted by this newspaper in this regard, neither granted nor denied the request for the resignation of the Vice Minister.
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Ruiz took office on September 6, one month after the start of the present government, after years of track record in energy. She is an electrical engineer from the National University and has a master’s and doctorate in engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She also has three postdocs in renewable energy from this same Mexican institution.
His arrival came after a first month with some controversial statements by Minister Vélezespecially in relation to the continuity of energy mining activity in the country.
«At the head of the Vice Ministry of Energy there has been a person who knows the issues that a position has. She is the ground pole for the sector«Said a person who knew details of this situation.
Sources consulted assured that the tension began because they have different positions on certain issues, including issues related to regulation.
Faced with the request that she resign from her position, which was also made to another person from high-ranking officials in the Ministry, the tension could lead to Ruiz being declared indefensible, if she does not present her resignation from the position she has held for only four months. Other sources consulted indicate that Ruiz would not be willing to resign.
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Definitions are being made in some managerial and coordination positions of the Vice Ministry of Energy, since these are key areas
In addition to the resignation of the Vice Minister, The resignation of the director of Hydrocarbons was also requestedCamilo Rincon. The official, who worked until today, had been linked to the Ministry since September 2018.
He was the Upstream coordinator before being promoted with the start of the new Government and began to occupy this new position since October of last year.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy commented that «as part of the adjustment processes defined to accelerate the energy transition and achieve the design of its roadmap, definitions are being made in some managerial positions and coordination of the Vice Ministry of Energy, since these are key areas for the government program of President Gustavo Petro”.
«We seek that the work team is clearly aligned with the methodologies and goals of the portfolio in terms of lower energy rates in the countrythe creation of energy communities, the presentation and implementation of the energy transition roadmap, and the promotion of Latin American energy integration”, he added.
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In the midst of Ruiz’s possible departure, the Minister wrote on her Twitter account that «We will not let adversary sectors weaken governance. They keep looking for strategies to stop our reforms and call our voice of transformation.»
Faced with statements that Minister Vélez had also asked the Vice Minister of Mines, Giovanni Sepúlveda, who took office last October, to resign, the official told EL TIEMPO that that’s not true and continues to «work hard for the mining country.»
