Colombia and Venezuela have reached an agreement to repair a damaged section of the cross-border gas pipeline, thereby allowing Bogota to import gas from its neighboring country. The information was announced by the Colombian Ministry of Energy on March 11.
Colombian Energy Minister Edwin Palma said that Bogota is promoting necessary steps to be able to start importing gas from Venezuela.
According to Mr. Palma, Venezuelan national oil corporation PDVSA will repair about 5km of Antonio Ricaurte pipeline located on Colombian territory. The information was posted by him on social network X after a meeting with officials from PDVSA's local unit.
During that time, Colombia will complete the necessary licensing procedures so that repairs can be implemented.
The Antonio Ricaurte gas pipeline has been inactive for many years. The roadmap for restoring the operation of this pipeline was discussed at a meeting between the Colombian Ministry of Energy, the environmental licensing agency and Venezuela's PDVSA corporation.
The announcement was made just 2 days before the expected meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
According to the Colombian Ministry of Energy, PDVSA will repair the pipeline in accordance with environmental regulations and comply with the system's original route.
The Antonio Ricaurte pipeline is about 225km long, connecting the gas systems of the two countries and has a transport capacity of about 14.2 million m3/day.
