In the Committee for the Coordination of Maintenance and Interventions of the National Council for the Operation of Natural Gas, COMI, chaired by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and in which other entities of the National Government participated, the companies that produce, transport, market and distribute country’s natural gas, defined an action plan to mitigate the impact of the emergency that occurs in the Cerro Bravo sector, municipality of Herveo, in the department of Tolima, where a thermal anomaly under evaluation threatens the integrity of the TGI gas pipeline , reason for which the passage of this energy was suspended for the departments of Tolima, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca.
The action plan to be followed establishes the following measures:
Transportadora de Gas Internacional will begin with the laying of a flexible tubing line, which is expected to be built in approximately nine days or the shortest time possible. The solution will make it possible to have the gas transportation capacity required to meet the demand of residential, commercial, industrial, and vehicular users.
Additionally, other natural gas transportation options are evaluated as a complement to guarantee supply in the Coffee Region and the southwest of the country.
Specialists from the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) visited the area of the anomaly and its surroundings and were able to confirm that high concentrations of methane gas (CH4) are present only at that point, higher than those that this gas usually has in volcanic areas, also corroborating that, at the point of the anomaly, the ground registers high temperatures, close to 700 degrees Celsius, as reported by TGI last Friday. Based on these results, this entity rules out that the anomaly is related to the activity of the Cerro Bravo volcano, which is at the Green level (active, but at rest), and urged the entities involved (environmental and risk) to join efforts to determine the origin of this process.
The characteristics of the CH4 methane reported by the SGC do not correspond to the properties of the gas transported by TGI either.
The marketing companies and service providers reiterate to users that during this restriction, they keep the valves of the measurement center, the internal network and the gas appliances closed. For users who still have natural gas service, it is recommended to make rational use of it and implement complementary energy alternatives.
To obtain precise information, the official channels will be the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Risk Management Unit, TGI and the companies that provide the natural gas service.
To provide security to the communities near the contingency point and guarantee that work can be carried out in the area, the Tolima and Caldas Risk Management Units together with the relevant authorities will lead a coordinated operation.
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 work group made up of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the national and territorial authorities and companies in the natural gas sector, to ensure the supply of this energy that facilitates the life of the population and promotes the development of the country. .
Previously, regarding the thermal anomaly associated with the subsoil in Cerro Bravo, in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Herveo, Tolima, the Ministry of Mines and Energy issued the following statement:
According to a technical report, the subsoil temperature values at this point reached 600°C. Taking into account that this abnormal condition located at a distance of 1.5 meters and 1.80 meters deep, could affect the proper functioning of the pipe corresponding to the Mariquita – Cali gas pipeline, the TGI company decides to preventatively isolate the section exposed to risk .
According to the results of the inspections and analyzes carried out to date by the Colombian Geological Service (SGC), this anomaly is not due to the activity of the Cerro Bravo volcano, which is currently at the Green level (active, but at rest). However, in order to contribute to the clarification of the origin of this phenomenon, this Sunday, specialists from this entity will again take measurements of the soil temperature and will evaluate the presence of sulfur dioxide (SO2); they will inspect the incandescence that exists in one of the gas outlet points; and estimate the flux of various gases present in the soil: carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and methane (CH4).
From the Ministry of Energy together with the marketing companies, users are invited, in particular, the inhabitants of the departments of Caldas, Tolima, Risaralda, Quindío, Valle del Cauca and Cauca, to make efficient use of natural gas while service is restored.
Since the case report, the National Natural Gas Operation Council (CNO), led by the Ministry of Energy and of which national government entities and marketing and transportation companies are part, have been carrying out urgent technical and operational actions, to have alternative connections and gas transportation and mitigate the affectation in the provision of the service to users. with RSF