Minminas launches action plan to mitigate gas suspension

After an emergency meeting that was held this Sunday, the Maintenance and Intervention Committee – COMI of the National Council for the Operation of Natural Gas, CNO Gas, chaired by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and which has the producing companies as participants, transporters, marketers and distributors of natural gas in Colombia, new actions were defined to mitigate the thermal anomaly that threatens the integrity of the TGI gas pipeline in the Cerro Bravo sector, in the municipality of Herveo, Tolima, and that has generated the suspension gradual supply of natural gas in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca.

(The SGC explained what happens with the Cerro Bravo volcano and its gases).

After an emergency meeting that was held this Sunday, the Maintenance and Intervention Committee – COMI of the National Council for the Operation of Natural Gas, CNO Gas, chaired by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and which has the producing companies as participants, transporters, marketers and distributors of natural gas in Colombia, new actions were defined to mitigate the thermal anomaly that threatens the integrity of the TGI gas pipeline in the Cerro Bravo sector, in the municipality of Herveo, Tolima, and which has led to the gradual suspension of natural gas in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca.

For the execution of the plan, Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI) reported that it has the contractor that will carry out the work with flexible tubing, who is mobilizing materials, personnel, equipment and carrying out preliminary activities in the field; seeking to advance the work under the safest possible conditions.

(Companies and Government work to restore natural gas service).

According to him Ministry of Mines and Energy, The solution of using flexible tubing will make it possible to have the gas transportation capacity required to meet the demand of residential, commercial, industrial, and vehicular users of the Coffee Region and the Southwest of the country in a period of approximately nine days, as long as the conditions external allow it.

In addition, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, together with the Ministry of Transportation, managed the mobility conditions for tanker-type vehicles to transport LPG and CNG in order to supply populations in the departments of Cauca and Nariño, served by Alcanos.

For its part, the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) reiterates that the thermal anomaly is not related to volcanic events, and in particular to the activity of the Cerro Bravo volcano or the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, located approximately 22 km away and in Orange level. For its characteristicswith high concentrations of methane, this anomaly would have another origin that could be organic or the product of human activities.

Given this result, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management is in charge of establishing the causes of the thermal phenomenon presented. For this, it installed the Unified Command Post (PMU) with the support of territorial entities, the Ministry of the Environment and the National Authority for Environmental Licenses (ANLA) and will meet again this Tuesday, May 23 in the afternoon.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy, through the Hydrocarbons Directorate, with the support of Ecopetrol and inter-institutional support, will carry out a new monitoring on Cerro Bravo this Tuesday, using specialized technical tools that complement what has been done so far to try to determine the causes of the observed thermal anomaly.

The distribution companies of the natural gas service reiterate to the users that during this suspension they keep the valves of the measurement center, the internal network and the gas appliances closed.

(The price of a cubic meter of gas has increased up to 45% in one year).

For users who still have natural gas service, it is recommended to make rational use of it and implement complementary energy alternatives.

For accurate information, the official channels will be the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Risk Management Unit, TGI and the natural gas service distribution companies.

Finally, the CNO-Gas will meet permanently until the emergency declared since 00:00 on May 20, 2023 is over. It will always be a priority for the working group made up of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the national authorities and territorial and companies in the natural gas sector, ensure the supply of this energy that facilitates the life of the population and promotes the development of the country.

BRIEFCASE