Returning Colombia to pre-pandemic oil output level top challenge, says minister
16/12/2020 16:23
By Julia Symmes Cobb
BOGOTA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The top challenge for Colombia's
oil and coal sectors next year will be returning to pre-pandemic
levels of production, Energy Minister Diego Mesa said on
Wednesday.
Mesa would not give estimates for 2021 production of oil,
coal, gold or other minerals but said the ministry would publish
targets in January.
"The particular challenges for production for 2021 will be
to manage to return to the path we had before COVID," Mesa told
journalists during a video press conference.
Average daily oil production was 885,851 barrels per day
(bpd) in 2019, but was down to 751,374 bpd in October 2020, the
latest month for which figures are available.
Global demand for oil - Colombia's top export and source of
foreign exchange - will close this year down approximately 15%,
Mesa said.
The government has said it will offer up to 40 blocks for
auction at its next oil round in 2021, after awarding just four
blocks in its most recent sale. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2I6225
The challenge of returning to pre-pandemic output is the
same for coal, which has not only been affected by work
stoppages connected to the pandemic but also by a three-month
strike which halted production at major mine Cerrejon, Mesa
said.
Cerrejon and its largest union reached a deal to end the
strike late last month. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IH03Q
Third-quarter coal production of 11 million tonnes was down
47.2% compared with the same quarter in 2019. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IG1W0
Colombia produced 82.2 million tonnes of coal in 2019.
The government is also planning to auction more contracts
for renewable energy projects in the first half of next year.
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Colombia to offer up to 40 blocks in next oil auction
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2I6225
Coal miner Cerrejon and union reach deal to end 91-day strike
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IH03Q
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(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
((julia.cobb@thomsonreuters.com; +57-316-389-7187;))