The energy sector unions are calling on the Government to take actions aimed at covering the deficits of electric energy and natural gas to serve the users.

The country will face a critical situation for the natural gas sector starting in 2025 and in electricity from 2026, if the corresponding actions are not taken to avoid shortages. Therefore, the unions ACOLGEN, ACP, ANDESCO, ANDEG, ASOCODIS, NATURGAS, SER COLOMBIA, ASOENERGÍA, and the Chamber of Large Consumers of Energy and Gas of ANDI urgently call on the National Government to adopt all necessary measures to ensure the efficient and reliable supply of these energy sources to homes, industries, and businesses.

Situation in the electricity sector

• According to sector experts and UPME itself, in 2026 there would not be enough firm energy to cover the entire demand, and from December 2028, if El Niño or droughts occur, there would be energy rationing.
• According to a report from XM, reservoirs reached critical levels in April (less than 30%), and there is a risk of hydroelectric energy shortages between December 2024 and January 2025.
• As of today, the usable reservoir of the system, according to information from XM, is at 50.19%, a figure that is below historical averages for the current period, and is 1.1 percentage points below the shortage path.
• Regulatory uncertainty, the slow entry of projects, and the growth in energy consumption require immediate actions to avoid future energy crises.

In this context, we reiterate the need to advance in the following actions, on which we express our best willingness to work:

i) Reduce the uncertainty generated by announcements, draft regulations, and administrative acts that affect the functioning of the market;
ii) Provide greater support from the National Government in the field to those developing projects;
iii) Conduct new expansion auctions to cover the eventual deficit of firm energy;
iv) Implement auctions and new long-term energy contracting mechanisms that allow market agents to have less exposure to the market;
v) Support and promote the development of all technologies, recognizing that each contributes necessary and complementary attributes to ensure the sustainability and reliability of the service;
vi) Continuously monitor both the operation of thermal plants and the accompanying fuel logistics;
vii) Continuously review the level of energy exports to Ecuador and its impact on the operational wear of our thermal park; viii) Initiate savings campaigns and establish incentives for demand response and the efficient use of electric energy (energy efficiency).

Furthermore, we want to draw attention to the publication of the CREG Resolution project 701 065 of 2024, along with the signal given by CREG regarding a potential intervention in market prices. This not only affects confidence at a time when new investment is needed, but it could also impact the reliability of the system if we spend the water we must save to meet demand during dry seasons.

Situation in the natural gas sector

The figures from the Market Manager confirm that there is not enough local natural gas available for firm sale to meet the total demand of households, businesses, vehicles (essential demand), and industries in 2025 and 2026. The deficit of local natural gas is not an alert, it is a reality.

• Natural gas is an ally of the quality of life of Colombians; today, 36 million Colombians have natural gas in their homes, 841,000 are families from strata 1, 2, and 3. Natural gas is key to reducing poverty and closing inequality gaps.
• Vehicle natural gas (GNV), in addition to reducing emissions of polluting gases, reduces costs for the transport sector: 87,000 taxi drivers and 1,400 transporters have switched to GNV, in addition to the public mass transport systems that operate with this energy source (1,001 of the fleet in Cartagena and Valledupar and 301 of the SITP in Bogotá). These users need the availability of natural gas in their daily lives.
• The most used energy source by industries is natural gas; it represents 32% of the total energy sources used by this sector. It is essential in the production of food, glass, oxygen, cement, paper, fats, chemicals, salt, packaging, tableware, ceramics, appliances, among others. The lack of natural gas will lead many industries to revert to the consumption of fuels with higher emissions; to the closure of plants, as in the case of those producing fertilizers, whose role is strategic for the country's food security; and/or to the elimination of production lines for high value-added products, with the consequent consequences on employment and inflation.
• The electric market operator XM identified in its latest analysis of the energy landscape a broad need for thermal generation, especially natural gas given the low hydrology.

For this reason, it is urgent that the National Government adopts and implements the following decisions and actions to ensure the supply of natural gas:

i) Adopt additional measures to those established in Resolution CREG 102 009 of 2024, which temporarily flexibilize marketing and allow efficient allocation of all available natural gas, and resolve the requests for transportation charges and aggregation of sections submitted to CREG; ii) Define the guidelines that allow the marketing of imported natural gas to meet essential and industrial demand, through a decree from the Ministry and regulation from CREG;
iii) Expedite the development of natural gas findings onshore and offshore that early increase the local gas supply, this implies: i) support for the development and timely closure of prior consultations, ii) issuance of environmental licenses within the terms of the law, iii) adoption and prioritization of transportation infrastructure projects from the Natural Gas Supply Plan.

We reiterate that it is crucial for the country to maintain an environment of trust and stability that favors the development of essential projects for its energy future, and we call for coordinated work and constructive dialogue with all national and regional actors to guarantee the energy security that Colombia needs.