The declarations of the new president of Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roa, who announced that “there will be no more hydrocarbon exploration contracts in Colombia” are bad news, since they confirm that the main public company in the country will not be managed with business criteria, but under the dogmatic parameters promoted by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez.
As if that were not enough, Roa spoke of the possibility of buying gas from Venezuela, an absurd decision considering that our country has reserves to be self-sufficient and exporting the fuel would imply higher costs for Colombians.
As expected, the official’s statements led to the collapse of the value of Ecopetrol’s shares, a sample of what can happen from now on with the company, which navigates in uncertainty due to a fanatical and, therefore, erratic interpretation. of what the energy transition should be.
Undoubtedly, Colombia and the world must move towards clean energy, but in a responsible manner. Giving up coal, gas and oil without having a program in place to substitute these fuels and the income derived from them, exposes the country to the energy crisis and poverty.
In this sense, the announcement by the president of Ecopetrol pushes Colombia towards the abyss of energy improvisation, as it scares away investment in the sector and generates greater mistrust in international markets. This, as already seen with Exxon Mobil, leads oil companies to make the decision to leave the country early.
Oil brought the Colombian government $18.16 billion in taxes last year, how will these revenues be replaced? The country is heading towards the loss of energy self-sufficiency and towards poverty.
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