Colombia plans to expand its energy sector to ensure that the country will continue to meet domestic demand, the country’s mining minister said Monday
In an interview with Caracol Radio, Mining Minister Carlos Rodado said that Colombia’s energy system has strengthened in recent years, meaning that in the short term the government can reject the possibility of having to ration energy, as is currently occurring in Venezuela. Meanwhile, the government has created a timeline for expansion of the energy sector, which will allow the country to maintain production at the necessary levels to meet the needs of its population.
According to Rodado, by 2018, the government will increase energy production, strengthen the capacity of infrastructure that is already in place and focus on any other necessary elements to deal with internal demand.
Colombia recently began exporting energy to its neighbor Venezuela, which has been forced to resort to energy rationing due to a shortage of energy caused by poorly maintained plants, in order to help with the energy crisis. Ecuador also receives a smaller amount of energy from Colombia.