Backed by the presidents and directors of the entities attached to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez defended the ‘Balance of hydrocarbon contracts and resources available for the Just Energy Transition’.
This has been questioned by different unions and experts in the sector because it considers that an erroneous analysis of the potential of oil and natural gas is made What does Colombia have?
(Also read: The key phrases of the defense of Minister Irene Vélez for the oil report)
In addition, the greatest concern because this document corresponds to the basis for the National Government to make the decision to not deliver new contracts exploration and production of hydrocarbons, as announced by the minister during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The answers given by the minister to the main doubts that have arisen as a result of this study are presented below.
Does the document have errors?
The Vice Minister of Energy, Belizza Ruiz, assured that this report «has technical, economic and methodological problems», but for Minister Vélez «the figures are correct, the report is correctNo one has been told.»
In addition, he assured that the figures that were included are based on the information that the ANH has and that companies have publicly disclosed about the natural gas discoveries they have reported. “Here we are acting with a lot of transparency, with a lot of professional ethics and with a lot of technical certainty,” he added.
(Also read: Minister Vélez responds to her deputy minister: «She never gave an opinion against it»)
Will they deliver new contracts?
One of the great concerns of the oil sector is the government’s decision not to award more contracts. However, after the controversy over the study, Minister Irene Vélez said that «if there is other information in a year, surely the president (Gustavo Petro) will make other decisions”.
Likewise, it stands out that with the 381 that are currently in exploration and production, the energy transition what is wanted In addition, that the decision not to award new contracts «is a decision of the Government, it is not a decision of this minister.»
Is there enough gasoline in Colombia?
Although President Petro said that there is enough gas until 2042, Vélez said that «We have never said that with these results we are guaranteed from here until I don’t know where»rather, resources could be secured until 2037 with the appropriate decisions.
On this point, former minister Tomás González said that «things are being added that have different levels of risk and probability of occurring, and it cannot be done.»
(Also read: Oil and gas: the doubts left by the study that justify not exploring more)
Did the vice minister know the document?
Although Vice Minister Ruiz said that she was aware of the report until it was published, the minister assured that the issue was discussed in meetings. «It never happened that she gave an opinion against it, nor about the interest in making the report.»
But he also recognized that it was thought that Ruiz did not participate in its writing «Because we must speed up the power to make decisions on this balance of contracts.»
Is the report reliable?
Another clarification that the official made is that the document is not a reserve report —this is published in May by the ANH— but an inventory of the signed contracts. In other words, the decision not to award more contracts It does not come from analyzing the reserves but from the balance of the contracts.
For experts like former minister Tomás González, the risk is that executing the contracts does not guarantee discovering more oil and gas.
Were signatures forged?
The minister was radical when indicating that “signatures were never forged” of officials named in the document. If the deputy minister’s data appears there —despite the fact that she did not participate in its preparation— it is by protocol.
Likewise, he stated that if someone had asked not to be included, it would have been done, but «nobody ever told us that they wanted us to remove their name from there.»
