Exports of Colombian gas to Venezuela decline (Colombia now rationing gas due to drought)

[Mika]

Exports of Colombian gas to Venezuela decline
http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/02/09/en_eco_esp_colombian-gas-export_09A3412173.shtml

Exports of Colombian gas to Venezuela declined to 60 million cubic feet per day (cbpd) in January compared with an average of 179 cbpd last year, the US oil company Chevron reported on Tuesday.

The sharp decline in gas supply could further increase energy problems in the western region of Venezuela. This part of the country has been affected by serious power outages that may last seven hours, due to the energy crisis.

...

The capacity of the gas pipeline, inaugurated by Presidents Alvaro Uribe and Hugo Chávez in October 2007, is 500 million cbpd and it has carried up to 300 million cbpd in recent years.

Gas demand in Colombia has increased in order to supply thermal power plants. Colombian authorities have implemented a rationing plan which has affected the use of hydroelectric plants to address the lack of rain in the Andean region.

See? Chavez' fault. :sarcasm:

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[Judi Lynn]

1. Oh, gosh. They have to ration now. Gee, thanks so much, Hugo Chavez!

Poor, poor Colombia. If only the President of Venezuela didn't keep getting elected. It makes things so hard for the right-wing to control Latin America when uppity left-wingers are elected as Presidents.

The US will simply have to flood the continent with tons of our corruptible Diebold voting machines. That'll show them "democracy"!

[Billy Burnett]

2. Look how strongman Hugito influences Uribe to badly manage the worst drought in decades.

Why is Uribe mimicking Hugo by horribly mismanaging this climate anomaly in Colombia. :shrug:

;)

[protocol rv]

9. Colombia is managed much better

I wonder if you have factored in the fact that Colombia, which has much lower gas reserves, has been exporting gas to Venezuela. The original project was for Colombia to export gas to Venezuela for 3 years, then Venezuela was supposed to repay the gas. Unfortunately, PDVSA has lagged in its plans to develop Venezuelan gas fields - they are very far behind now. And this means Venezuela has been importing a lot more gas than the Colombian producers, all of them private operators associated with the Colombian state oil company, expected to produce.

I think it's a disgrace that Venezuela, which has huge gas reserves, has to import gas from Colombia, the Colombians profit handsomely from the sales, and Venezuela's balance of payment suffers. Meanwhile, the fields which could be developed in Venezuela using highly paid workers, are just sitting there... while Chavez struts around in his flying chariot passing money around to other countries. This is one reason why Chavez doesn't merit being elected again, he doesn't prioritize things properly.

[Wilms]

10. After they're willing to sell the gas, and VZ is willing to buy, it's a good deal.

Years from now, when VZ's reserves are tapped, you'll understand why.

Now. How about a few links from you?

[protocol rv]

14. links for what?

I wonder, do you know how to do a search on the internet? Try google.

Regarding the idea that "I'll get the idea when Venezuela begins to tap its own gas", it's hard to understand the comment. Venezuela has huge gas reserves. It benefits when it produces the gas internally rather than buying them from Colombia. The gas isn't being produced because PDVSA management lacks the competence to plan and execute the needed projects, and the government is unable to get foreign companies to invest to develop the gas. Look at the bottom line...the gas is known to be there, but it isn't being produced. Simple.

[Wilms]

16. Links for the many assertions you made and make?

Is it that strange a question?

Google is what YOU need to be using.

Else, your just another posters smearing a Democracy in LA.

How original.

Links for what my a**.

[EFerrari]

11. No kidding. Uribe beats him at so many levels.

Corruption, extortion, terror, mass graves, crematoria. I'm afraid Chavez will ever catch up with Uribe's "management" skills.

:puke:

[EFerrari]

3. He's everywhere, like Moby Dick!

[Peace Patriot]

4. This makes me so damn mad! The shit journalism of the corpo-fascist press

--ignoring all the problems in Colombia, Ecuador and other Amazon basin countries, and promulgating Venezuela's blackouts as a "talking point" against Chavez without ever mentioning all this. It is just so disgusting.

:argh: :puke:

[Judi Lynn]

5. It's a lie if they are distorting the truth about this drought, a clear LIE.

The people involved aren't journalists, they are hired propagandists, and enemies of the people.

[ChangoLoa]

6. Rationing water during a drought is obvious, you're not getting the argument

Which is:
When El Niño comes, there's always drought in all the region.
When there's drought, the hydroelectric production decreases.
When that happens, you need to compensate with different electricity sources which have no relation with the drought (nat. gas, sun, wind) in order to maintain the public service.
To be able to compensate when the event appears, it's critical to invest in those alternatives with anticipation.

El Niño 2010: How does the same event affect two neighboring countries?
Colombia's hydroelectric production is reduced so they switch to gas generated electricity. They stop exporting it.
Venezuela's hydroelectric production is reduced but we can't switch, we have to cut the public service for hours every day.

[Mika]

7. Partly due to Colombia's cutting gas supplies to Venezuela.

How does Ven use their alternative generating methodologies when the gas supply is cut by their neighbor?

Looking at the levels of gas cuts by Colombia, you can thank Uribe's mismanagement for the blackouts.

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[ChangoLoa]

12. Colombia won't sacrifice itself for Venezuela

They won't start cutting the electricity in their own country in order to avoid blackouts in Venezuela.

"How does Ven use their alternative generating methodologies when the gas supply is cut by their neighbor?"
By installing our own capacity, we have a lot more gas than them.

[protocol rv]

18. They did offer to sell Venezuela some electricity

I wonder, though, will they offer electric power in exchange for improved Venezuelan behavior? Venezuela cut off a lot of trade with Colombia, so I suspect those electricity sales will have strings attached.

[protocol rv]

15. Absurd

Rolling on the floor laughing out loud, I remind you that Venezuela's gas reserves are by far the largest in the Western Hemisphere. We import gas from Colombia because PDVSA is unable to extract our gas.

The Colombian gas we import is produced in offshore platforms by Chevron. We have ten times the offshore gas they have, yet we have zero gas production from offshore platforms.

[Judi Lynn]

8. We know all about it. It happens in the U.S. Makes life very hard for many. n/t

[ChangoLoa]

13. I don't think it's comparable

I've never heard about nationwide blackouts and water cuts happening in the US. 2-3hours of cut per day for big cities and 4-5 hours in provincial towns. Everywhere in the country. When did something comparable happened in your country?

[protocol rv]

17. She won't answer

They like to compare things in the US to other nations' when it's convenient. Of course they don't have the same problem in the US, not even close. And they don't have to look at the Guri dam water level dropping day by day like we are now. One good thing about this, when the power goes out, we have to climb the stairs, so it's going to make us a lot fitter. But I do feel bad for old people, shopping for groceries is going to be a real problem for them. And crime is going to be a lot worse in the dark. I don't think we'll be going out much after the sun sets.