Cali and the entire southwestern part of Colombia are waiting for the officialization of a imminent suspension of gas supply.
This has to do with the company gases from the west reported last weekend, through a statement, the cut of service in several areas of the country due to “an event of force majeure”.
In the notice, the company maintains that the Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI) reported that they detected a high temperature in one of the pipes in the gas pipeline corresponding to Mariquita – Cali.
The rise in temperature could be identified above 600°C; especially at the point of the Mariquita-Letras highway at the height of the Puente La Libertad – Fresno national highway.
“Residential and commercial users are recommended to make rational use of natural gas and, if possible, find substitute energy sources for their processes; to the industries to prepare with alternative fuels for their production and to the vehicular gas stations; inform its users about the mobilization of vehicles with other types of fuels ”, complements the GdO statement.
Position of the Mayor of Cali:
Faced with this situation, the Mayor’s Office of Santiago de Cali is committed to supporting gastronomic establishments.
These businesses may use propane gas through pipes, as long as they comply with the established human safety regulations. These standards include:
• Have at least one fire extinguisher in the place where the gas pipe is located.
• The personnel in charge of the kitchens or logistics must have current training certification in handling portable fire extinguishers.
• It is allowed to have a maximum of one 40-pound cylinder and one 10-pound cylinder as a spare.
• The cylinders cannot be located in the same place where the flame is produced (food preparation area). They must be attached to a structure that prevents knocks and falls, while allowing air circulation and preventing oxidation.
• It is necessary to install a proper propane pressure regulator for the size of the cylinder.
• The hoses that connect the cylinder with the gas appliance must be high pressure for propane gas use according to NTC 3561-2.
Given the blockade of the passage of this energy for the departments of Tolima, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, Nariño, Cauca and Valle del Cauca, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, in charge of presiding over the COMI, determined this action plan:
1. TGI will begin with the laying of a flexible tubing line, which is expected to be built in approximately nine days or in 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.
2. Additionally, other natural gas transportation options are evaluated as a complement to guarantee supply in the Coffee Region and the southwest of the country.
3. 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.
4. The characteristics of the methane CH4 reported by the SGC also do not correspond to the properties of the gas transported by TGI.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. The CNO Gas will meet permanently until the emergency declared since 00:00 on May 20, 2023 is over.
Data:
– This possibility of suspension of gas supply could affect 1,300,000 users of Gases de Occidente in the Valley and northern Cauca.
– In 2011, the last record of this emergency in the region occurred, which was caused by a landslide that broke the main pipeline at the height of the municipality of Herveo.
– Colombia reached 10 million users with natural gas. There are about 5 million Colombians who cook with firewood and charcoal, according to the Colombian Association of Natural Gas (Naturgas).
– Our country has proven natural gas reserves of 3,164 giga cubic feet. This guarantees that the panorama will be covered for between six and eight years, according to the 2021 National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) reserve report.
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